Accounts of Abduction
by Gemini Star01
Summary: Kouichi is stalked, assulted and kidnapped by a myserious stranger. But why is this man so facinated with him? And how is everyone else taking it? An experement in veiwpoints.
1. Rescue Party

Oookay…You guys are going to think I've lost it. But this has been _bugging_ me for ages, especially this last week, so I _finally_ decided to write it down and post it already. The way this story works, it's impossible to tell how many chapters it'll have, or even which point of view the chapters will be in half of the time. All I know is that this is _so_ not for little kids. The reason I had to write it down is because it was almost psychologically damaging _to me_. So I'll try to post warnings and POV before each chapter, but just remember that I _have_ warned you. It's rated M for a reason.

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WARNINGS: This chapter contains kidnap, homosexual statutory rape, the sexual humiliation of a teenage boy, mention of attempted suicide and a slight disturbing fetish involving a French maid's outfit. And this is just the first chapter.

POV: Hiroaki Kanbara (you'll see)

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy.

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Account of Abduction

Chapter 1: Rescue Party

I'm not particularly fond of fancy-dress parties. I never really have been, but as a public official, I don't have a lot of choice but to attend one every now and then.

"Inspector Kanbara!" A voice called as a sudden hand clapped me on the back with force enough to make me spill some of the annoyingly fizzy drink I was holding. "Nice to see you got a little time off for some fun, huh?"

I grinned, even though I didn't feel like it. "Good to see you as well… Kinomoto-san." I coughed, regained my composure, and adjusted my tie as I straightened. "Unfortunately, I'm simply here representing Commander Ikawa. He had to work tonight."

Kinomoto-san grinned, looking vaguely drunk, which is why I assumed he would pat me on the back like an old friend. We've met once or twice, through community gatherings such as this, but you wouldn't call us close. Officers of the Law rarely develop friendships with high-ranking business men.

"Good, good." He chuckled, taking a long swig of the glass in his hand. "Means all the more fun for you, eh? Man, Koukon sure knows how to throw a party!"

Higure Koukon-san was the young host of this little 'soiree', as he called it, and a most interesting fellow indeed. Barely twenty-six, he was already one of the wealthiest people in the city. A tall, thin, foreign-looking young man with a perminantly stretched look, Koukon-san had long, stringy blonde hair and piercing reddish-brown eyes. He had aquired a small fan club of young ladies very quickly, all attracted to his exotically good looks.

I only remembered him well because he had attempted suicide barely a year ago, something about the strain of running the company inherited from his father being too much. He was in a coma for several weeks after his overdose, rising again to recover at a remarkable fast pace. He soon became a regular party hound, throwing extravagant feasts such as this one and inviting every person who might have held a shred of importance in the city.

"And his staff's not so bad lookin' neither." Laughed Kinomoto again, his eyes focused blurrily on a young woman serving cocktails not far away.

One of the things that bothered me about these parties, especially Koukon's, was the age of the staff. The girls scattered throughout the room looked extremely young, some not that much above legal age, and all were wearing the sort of black, lacy dress of a French maid, their faces hidden by black velvet masks. Why, I'd seen one not long ago, much smaller than the others with short-cropped, dark hair, who didn't look much older than 16. But even Koukon would know better than to staff his occasions with under-aged girls…

Kinomoto-san laughed drunkenly again. "But I tell yah, yeh look like hell. Maybe you should consider switching professions? All the suicide kid cases must be gettin' to yeh…"

As politely as I could, I detached myself from Kinomoto-san and made my way gratefully back into the babbling crowd of strangers. His words annoyed me strangely… especially as it drew my thoughts to a certain case that has been weighing on my mind for a while.

Not that every case doesn't weigh on your mind, it does. My department is missing children, and it's filled with runaways and suicides trying desperately to escape the pressure of entrance exams. Especially when you have children of your own, the thought of anything happening to those kids who run can keep you awake at night.

But this most recent case hit almost too close to home…The missing person was one of my son, Takuya's, closest friends.

The boy's name was Kouichi Kimura. He was one of the group of friends Takuya had made rather suddenly about two years previously. I'd met Kimura-kun before, as they group often came to our house, sometimes for dinner, and occationally to a few to sleep over. I remembered Kimura-kun as being a shy, modest boy with a gentle disposition and a great dislike of horror movies. He had an identical twin, Kouji Minamoto-kun, who acted as a kind of mediator for him, the two possibly being Takuya's very closest friends.

Kimura-kun had disappeared three weeks earlier, vanishing without a trace on his way home from school one particularly overcast and rainy Thursday. He was a calm, dependable kid, decent B+ average, responsible. He lived with only his mother, who was chronically ill, and made an effort to take very good care of her. He even took on part-time jobs and did the shopping twice a week. He wasn't the kind of kid to run away from home.

Unfortunately, the options that left us with weren't very good ones. Kidnapping, exploitation…even murder. His mother's health was breaking down from worry, his brother was becoming increasingly more violent as time went by, and Takuya hadn't really spoken much in the past week. And with my son, that's saying something.

Pressed now to the edge of the party, something caught my eye…or rather, my ear. There was a hall stretching outward from the main room, thin, small and too, well…quiet. As an officer of the law, I'm naturally enough trained to notice anything out of the ordinary. And if there's one thing out of the ordinary at a fancy-dress party, it's part of the host's mansion that they aren't eager to show off to their high-class guests.

I really don't have an explanation for what I did next. Respectably, I have to say that my officer's intuition picked up that something was wrong, and my sense of duty had to act on it.

The truth is, I'm actually no more controlled that Takuya. Especially when I'm bored. Or curious. Or both.

At first sight the hallway was long, thin and dark. Once you stepped in, however, it was long, thin and extremely dark, but I could now see faint beams of light peeping out from the cracks around and under some of the doors. One door, at the end of the hall, was cracked open slightly, filled with soft, 'natural' blue lighting. The only noise on this entire hall was coming from inside, soft sobbing.

Naturally enough, I had a look. I recognized the girl inside instantly…she was the young maid I had noticed before, the one who didn't seam old enough to be serving liquor. She seamed even younger now, so small and delicate, seeing her up close she couldn't have been more than 15. I made a mental note to have Koukon looked into back at the station.

The girl was on the floor in the middle of the room, sobbing, her face buried in the mattress of a small bed. She was still dressed in her 'uniform', that is, a black dress that covered most everything except the legs, with white trim and apron. She wore black leggings beneath the dress, rather than hose, and had on black tennis shoes meant for such things as school dance teams. Lying next to her on the bed was the feathered black half-mask each of the girls had worn, as well as the white ribbon that had previously adorned her short, dark hair.

I couldn't stand to see such a sweet little girl cry, so I slipped in quietly, closing the door behind me, and made my way over to knell next to her. I placed a hand on my shoulder and gave her my gentlest dealing-with-a-young-trauma-victim smile. "Is something wrong, young lady?"

She jumped a bit an looked up, after which it took several long moments for my mind to assimilate the new information.

She was a boy.

And not just any boy. I recognized him instantly, his almost femininely heart-shaped face, soft gaze and doe-like blue eyes, even though one of them was slightly puffy and blackened. There was no mistaking him.

"K…Kimura-kun!" I gasped once my senses had realigned.

"Kanbara-san?" He stared at me a moment, eyes watering, then snapped his head away in shame, looking down at his current state of attire with embaressment.

I took him by the shoulder, making him look at me. "Kimura-kun, what are you doing here?" I whispered urgently, trying to keep my grip gentle. "How long have you been here? We've looked everywhere for you, your mother is worried sick!"

"Mama?" His eyes snapped up at that comment, still teary. Small, thin hands grasped the sleeve of my coat. "Is she all right? She's not sick again, is she? Please tell me she's all right, I don't want her to…"

"Easy, easy." I soothed, letting my hands slide down to his elbows instead. There was a bruise, and a rather large one at that, peaking out from under his black collar. I wondered how many more were hidden across his skin.

Naturally enough, I also wondered what exactly he was doing in that dress, but something told me it wouldn't be good to ask. Kimura-kun was an unbelievably shy boy, and very modest, the last person you'd ever list as being a cross-dresser…Unless…

"Did Koukon bring you here?" I asked seriously. "Is he threatening you? Hurting you?"

He started shaking. I took that as a 'Yes' and put an arm around him again, letting him dissolve forward to cry into my shoulder. He seamed thinner and weaker than I remembered him being. His hands clutched the cloth of my shirt like a tiny child, thankful for the appearance of a familiar face, however distant.

My mind was already putting the charges we could bring down on Koukon's head. Kidnapping. Holding a minor against his will. From the looks of his body and bruises, definite physical abuse and maybe even…god forbid…sexual abuse, or worse, rape.

The first thing that blasted into my mind was _"That bastard will pay for this."_

The second thing was much more reasonable, but just as infuriating: _"Not if we don't do it right."_

"Kimura-kun." I whispered softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to have to go now."

"No!" He exclaimed, latching on to me again and looking up. "Please, Kanbara-san, don't leave me here with him again! I can't take it anymore, please…"

"Kimura-kun." I silenced him gently, putting a finger to his lips. "Listen to me. I know you're upset, and I know you're scared. But we can't do anything now."

"But…"

"Listen." I stressed, leaning forward a bit. "Do you want this bastard to get away with what he's done to you?" He shook his head hesitantly. "Do you want him to go free so he can do this again, to somebody else?" Another shake of the head, more intense this time. "Then you have to be patient. If I take you now, he'll get off on a technicality. You have to be patient, all right?"

He nodded, biting his lip. "I…I guess…"

"Don't worry." I soothed, standing. He held on to my wrists, as though afraid to let go. Maybe he was. "I'll come back for you, I promise. We'll take you home to your mother, to your brother, to everyone. All right?"

He whimpered softly, but let go. "All…All right."

I tried to give him the most supporting look I could, then made my way back up the long, thin hall and out the front doors.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Police Chief Ikawa jumped a foot when I stormed into his office, spilling the remains of a Starbucks Frapachino across his desk. He glared at me as he hurried to clean up the mess. "Kanbara. I thought you were going to represent me at Koukon-san's festivities this evening."

I didn't have time for an explanation. I just slammed my hands down on his desk and looked the old man straight in the eye. "I found Kimura-kun."

Chief Ikawa stared at me a moment. "What?"

"Kimura-kun. Kouichi Kimura." I spelled out slowly. "I. Found. Him."

It took only a few moments to tell the story, but it wouldn't have taken so long if I could have convinced the stubborn old man sooner. He just didn't want to believe that 'Koukon-san' could actually be a kidnapper, let alone a child molester who forced teenage boys to crossdress as French maids.

"It doesn't make sense, Kanbara." He tried to reason. "How would Koukon even know Kimura? They're from two different social classes! The only reason I can think for a man of Koukon's level to do such a thing is if he became infatuated with the boy, but since they could never have met…"

Glancing at my watch, I growled softly. It was almost eleven PM. I'd left the party at ten, and it was supposed to have wrapped up around ten thirty. If we didn't get to Kimura-kun soon, I didn't want to think what could happen…

"Look!" I insisted, slamming my hands down and knocking over his frapachino again. "I _spoke_ with him, I _know_ it was Kimura-kun! He's a close friend of my son, and I _promised_ to get him out of there _tonight_. So sign the damn warrant or so help me…"

"All right, all right." Ikawa raised his hands with a nervous sigh, pulling out the proper form from his desk. He filled everything out with a blue pen, not quite looking at me. "Take the third division, they're the one with the most people on call tonight…"

"Yes, sir." I sighed, straightening and saluting somewhat.

Chief Ikawa unlocked a smaller drawer, removing his seal from inside. He padded it in the ink and stamped the form silently before handing it to me. "…I really hope you know what you're doing, Kanbara."

"Trust me, sir. I do."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Somewhere growing close to eleven forty-five, our battalion of nine cops arrived at Koukon's front door. The guests had left, and most of the mansion was dark…but we had the warrant, and I knew what was waiting inside, so I stormed up to the door and rang the bell.

When five minutes passed and he didn't answer, I rang again, then pounded on the door with my fist. "Koukon-san! This is Inspector Kanbara of the Thirty-Fourth precinct! We have a warrant to search your premises. Please open the door."

There was still no answer. I motioned to one of the Sergeants, who produced a lock pick…sometimes it's necessary, especially in emergency situations. Anyway, he broke the lock within two minutes, setting off every alarm in the place, but since they're connected to the police station anyway, it didn't really matter.

The huge house seamed practically empty. No one was around, and no one appeared even as the officers spread out, turning on all lights and opening every door as they went. The whole place was…empty?

One of the officers reached for his gun nervously. "Something's not right here, Inspector." He muttered softly. "A house this big, and no staff? Something's wrong, something's very wrong."

My blood ran cold. Following my first instinct, I raced to the dark, thin hall and threw open the door where I had found Kouichi earlier. But the room, like the rest of the house, was empty save for the black feather mask that had hidden the boy's features from the rest of the party.

No…Kouichi-kun, he couldn't be gone. I promised him…I _promised_…

A light caught my eye. No…yes! There, at the very end of the hall, a door was barely cracked open, and every now and then a light flashed out. Like a…a lamp that was being covered by something.

I drew my gun and stomped down the hall, a couple of the more experienced cops mirroring my movements just behind me. I didn't like the sounds that we coming from that room…as we got closer, I could hear them. Crying, whimpering, mumbling and whispered threats, all mixed in with the rustling of bed covers and the ever-present shifting of the light.

I couldn't take it anymore. I kicked open the door and leveled the pistol in my hand. "Freeze!" I shouted, and had to hold down a gagging reflex as I spotted what was inside.

The room was definitely the master bedroom, the way it was decked out with lavish curtains and furniture, all of it either black or various shades of red. In the middle of the room was a huge four-poster bed, one that could be hidden by black curtains that now hung slightly open. And through those curtains I could see the two figures entangled in the sheet…Koukon and Kimura-kun.

The blonde man had Kouichi pinned, one hand pressed over his mouth while the other clutched a fistful of his hair, keeping the boy's head still. His arms were pinned to his sides as Koukon straddled his waist, pointed knees bent to trap his wrists against the mattress. Neither was wearing a shirt, but it didn't seam quite voluntary…the dress Kouichi had been forced to wear before lay discarded on the ground, and there were the remains of thin black shirt lying in tatters around them.

It took me a moment to recover my composure, but only a moment. "Higure Koukon, you're under arrest." I growled, not taking my gun away from the blonde sicko. "Surrender now or I will be forced to open fire."

The blonde looked at me a moment, then laughed manically. "You won't shoot me, Inspector."

My hand tensed. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because…" An evil smirk slide over his face. "You don't want to hurt my little pet here."

Before I could blink he was in motion, snatching a shining knife from the bed stand and changing positions so that he held Kimura-kun firmly between us, a tight grip still on his hair and the knife pressed to his throat. My hand jerked, as did the two beside me, but no one could fire…we'd kill 'the hostage'. We'd kill Kouichi!

"Now do you see, officer?" Koukon laughed deep in his throat, pressing the knife ever closer to Kouichi's neck, making the boy whimper slightly. "Now do you see how far I'm willing to go to keep what is _mine_?"

His eyes flashed a fiery red, glinting at us maliciously. Another growl rumbled up in my throat, especially as he leaned forward to put his lips right against Kimura-kun's ear, whispering to him in a soft, heavy fashion that I could lip-read with ease: "If I can't have you…no one can…"

Then something happened that I'll never forget.

Kouichi suddenly grabbed his captor's arm with both of his, steadying the knife a safe distance from his own throat, and wrenched his head forward to bite Koukon's wrist with all his might.

Koukon screamed, dropping the knife and ripping out a fair chunk of dark hair. Kouichi took his self-given opportunity to roll out of the way and hit the floor, as I took my opportunity to fire.

The bullet wasn't meant to kill, and it didn't, but it did blow him back several feet and leave a very nice hole in his right shoulder. My two fellow officers reacted as well, diving forward to grab Koukon before he could move and make for the cuffs, reciting his so-called 'rights' as they did. Not that they would do him any help, but at this point we were not going to loose on a technicality.

Myself, my first priority was to make sure Kouichi was okay. I holstered my gun and raced over to where he was lying, curled into a fetal position on the floor. "Kimura-kun." I whispered gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's over. It's all over."

He uncurled and blinked at me a second, then seamed to understand. "You mean D-D…H-He…"

"He won't hurt you ever again." I soothed, brushing some hair from his eyes. He was covered in bruises, some as long and thick as my arm, as well as several shallow cuts and scars in the pale skin of his arms and torso. But he was alive…thank the gods…and he seamed to be aware. There wasn't much I could do for him. But there was one thing.

"Come on." I whispered, wrapping an emergency blanket around his shoulders as I helped him up. "Let's get you home."

**__**

TBC…

It might be a while before the next chapter is written, but that's half the fun. It gives you time to guess exactly why the freak is so obsessed with Kouichi-kun. Here's a hint: his name is a big clue. Both first and last.


	2. Obsession

Okay, only warning as to the contrary - These chapters are not particularly linear. Each chapter will reveal a little more of the story, each could be a one-shot to stand on its own, and each could be the end if I run out of ideas. In other words, this is basically a series of short stories that connect and move with each other, not something that comes out easily and smoothly.

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WARNINGS: _This_ Chapter contains stalking with threatening intent, kidnapping, homosexuality, fetishes for bondage and French maid outfits, physical abuse, sexual abuse, statutory rape, attempted suicide and the disturbing obsession of a twenty-six year old man with a fourteen year old boy. And some bad language.

POV: Higure Koukon/(you'll find out in a second)_ -_Normal 3rd person POV

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy.

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Account of Abduction

Chapter 2: Obsession

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You know, it wasn't like I meant to be attracted to him this way, but human emotions can be such a bother.

When I entered this human world I had only one goal: To get back what was mine. It wasn't like I liked the boy or anything, simply that he was mine. Or, more specifically, his body was mine, even if he thought to be rid of me. Yes, my spirits had been 'cleansed', mutated into that god-damned 'pure' spirit, but I'll be damned to rot in hell before letting him get away from me so easily.

It was a long, painstaking task to rebuild some semblance of a spirit around what was left of my consciousness. It took three human years. Three years. But I'm a patient Digimon. I'd have to be, to inhabit a body like this one.

This hadn't been my target, of course, but after three years I found that my true body had been unplugged. I couldn't reach him, not while he wandered unattached to the medical machines that had connected his mind to the Digital Plane. So, I found a more convenient shell to inhabit temporarily.

The foolish human who previously owned this form was psychologically unbalanced and depressed. Before attempting to take his own life, he had been rejected by another human, a fellow male whom he had harbored affections for. Driven to near-madness by his grief and overly-imagined stress, he swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills, mixed liberally with alcohol.

I managed to stumble upon him just before his pitiful soul was loosened from his body. Cutting the last remaining thread holding the spirit there, I swiftly took its place before the body could go into full arrest. And thus I took on the persona of young human business tycoon Higure Koukon.

Naturally enough, it took a long time for my new body to recover from its previous owner's self hatred. Months, in fact, as his pathetic human systems slowly siphoned out the poisons he had put in. Those months I spent fatigued, almost too weak to move, but I used my time wisely. I searched the information brought by my host's laptop computer to find my boy.

When I was finally released, I went in search of him. It wasn't too hard. Between my own partial memories of his life and the information I had gathered it took mere days to find his hiding place.

Of course, that was when my host's emotions kicked in.

You see, this body of mine had been…shall we say 'attracted'…to members of his own sex since he was a small child. And, if the attempted suicide after the rejection of one of his would-be lovers was any indication, he had very little problems with keeping it out in the open.

And those open, blatant and unusually strong emotions mixed with my own desire to regain my control of the boy. So that day, when I waited outside of his school building for my first glimpse of him outside of a mirror, I was not prepared nor responsible for what happened next.

I wanted _him._

The organ humans call a heart started to race the moment I spotted him. There wasn't really anything special about him here…normal clothes, normal height, normal junior high school boy. But to me, he stood out in the throng, like a beacon. And I wanted him.

Even as I returned to my own hiding place, my host's ancient family home, I couldn't stop thinking of him. I wanted him with me, beside me. I wanted to touch him, for reasons I could not explain. It was confusing, but it was wonderful all the same.

That night, the idea of taking his body as my own was lost. I wanted him, here with me, separate, in his own body. My dreams danced with dizzying pictures of lust and desire that sent very interesting sensations throughout my entire body.

As the shadows wore on, my mind painted wonderfully erotic scenes for my imagination to enjoy. In one, he was beneath me on the bed, hands bound to the headboard, gasping and moaning as I explored every last inch of his naked form. In another I had him pinned to the wall, my mouth covering his as my hands searched the hidden parts. The most attractive image of all came just before I woke…the sight of him in a frilly black-and-white outfits worn by some of the staff, looking up at me shyly and calling me 'master'.

I was later informed that those outfits were meant for females, but as it remained my most arousing fantasy, it mattered very little.

As days went by, my imaginings grew more and more intense, especially the more I saw of him. And I made sure to see as much of him as I could. His home, his friends his routes, I knew them all, and following him drove me insane. I wanted him, and by all rights his body belonged to me…I had _to have him for my own!_

After all my obsession, I finally got my chance one dark, rainy day…

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouichi walked home through the impossibly thick rain, pulling his coat around him somewhat futilely. It had only been five minutes in the malestorm and he was already soaked through. Squinting around him at the barren street, he kept a close eye on the building numbers, counting them off until they got to his apartment.

A pair of headlights sudden blazed to life not too far behind him, the accompanying rumble of an engine making him jump. The rain was so thick and endless, he hadn't noticed the long, black limo-car that was parked beside him.

The door opened, cutting him off. Inside, smiling out at him, was a tall, pale young man dressed completely in black.

Kouichi recoiled, recognizing the dark, red-brown eyes and sickly, cold grin slipping over his face. It was him, the same face that had been following him…watching him…He quickly took a few steps back. "S-Stay away from me."

"Now now." The blonde shook one finger in a tut-tut manner. "That's not very nice. Wouldn't you like a ride? You're so cold and wet."

Kouichi turned to make a break for it, but found his way blocked by the driver, who was easily six feet tall and built vaguely like a brick wall. He grabbed Kouichi by the shoulder, lifting him just a few centimeters to shove him across the slick ground, forcing him back into his employer's cab.

"Let go of me!" Kouichi shouted, struggling even as the man in the car grasped him around the waist to drag him inside. "Let me go! Let go!"

The door slammed shut, followed seconds after by the engine revving up and the car speeding off. Kouichi wrestled his way out of his captor's grasp and gripped the door handle. He shoved and yanked, but found it locked from the outside. He pounded on the heavily-tinted window, screaming for help even as he tried to break the glass.

Long, thin, pale arms slithered around his shoulders. A shiver ran up Kouichi's spine as a soft voice began to whisper mere centimeters from his ear. "Don't was your breath, pet. No one can hear you for the rain. And by the time that stops, we'll be so far out of town there will be no one to hear your pretty little voice but me."

Snapping free of the arms, Kouichi spun to face his captor, his back pressed up against the door like a cornered cat. "Who are you?"

"You don't recognize me?" The man chuckled softly, reaching out to gently brush his fingers against the boy's cheeks. "I suppose that's normal. I have made some major changes."

Kouichi snapped back again, nearly hitting his head in his attempt to get away. "What do you want with me, you freak!"

"Now _that _isn't very nice." The man suddenly had him by the throat, swinging him around to lie flat on his back across the plush seat. Kouichi's hands snapped to the arms around his throat, even as the man straddled him across the waist.

"I'm just here to claim what's mine!" He snarled, leaning close to the boy he was nearly strangling. "I entered this world just to look for _you_, and now that I _have_ you, I intend to keep what's _mine_."

Kouichi gasped, eyes widening in recognition and shock. The man grinned even more broadly as he mouthed, breathless. _"Duskmon…"_

"What's right." Koukon/Duskmon chuckled softly. "Remember me. Remember your fear, your anger. Remember your new master, my little _pet_."

He shifted his grip, releasing the boy's throat to let him breath and grip his wrists instead. With a fluent movement, he pinned the boy's hands above his head. He grinned again, leaning down so that their noses touched. "Have you missed me, pet?" He whispered heavily, moments before planting a kiss right on the lips.

It wasn't an easy one. Kouichi yelled in muffled protest, struggling harshly. Koukon increased the intensity of his kiss, his tongue slithering out to invade Kouichi's mouth like a snake.

Five minutes later, he pulled up, breaking away. The boy took in a sharp gasp, gulping for air as hot tears of frustration and shame trickled down his cheeks.

"You can't imagine how long I've longed for this." Duskmon whispered huskily, grinding his hips into the boy beneath him so he could feel the bludge within the black leather pants. "Can you feel it, pet? Can you feel my desire? I've waited for this a long, long time, and now it's time to take what belongs to me."

"No…" The boy whimpered, trying to break the much stronger man's hold. "Oh god…no…"

"Oh, yes." His captor hissed as the car pulled to a stop. "This is going to be _so_ much _fun_…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

_He struggled, of course. I always knew he could. As docile as his personality can be, his self-perservation has always been strong. So he struggled. He fought. He screamed._

And he gave in, eventually. It took me two weeks, but without his family or friends, cut off from the rest of the world, it was all too easy to break his spirit. He knows his place now, my little pet. I have my prize.

This morning I received one of the outfits I'd always imagined him in, the black and the frills. And what do you know…

It's just his size.

**__**

TBC…

Wow. That was weird. It just kinda…came out, once I finally thought of an end to this chapter. So...here it is. Hope you liked it, and please remember to leave a review…Oh, and don't kill me. It's the muse's fault.


	3. Brother

An explanation: Both halves of Higure Koukon's name mean 'dusk' in one manner or the other. I went to two different Japanese-to-English dictionaries and found two different words, so I used them both. (Although, Syaoran-san, I do like the idea of it being similar to a Lolita complex…)

I've drawn a peice of fan art for this fic. It's at: www . media miner . org / fanart / view . php / 182692(Remove the spaces and please remember to leave a note) The picture, though not perverted or hentai, is still a little strong, so be careful, all right?

**Warnings: Kidnapping, stalking, and rape all mentioned. Lots of angst, Kouichi-trauma and some physical violence. Kinda gentle, huh? **

POV: Kouji Minamoto

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy.

I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy.

Account of Abduction

Chapter 3: Brother

I should have known something was wrong the moment I saw him.

Kouichi was the one who made me notice him. He and I had been walking together, going to the store on an errand for Mother one night when I stayed over. He started out the way he always does, smiling and laughing and bowing to the neighbors who wouldn't take it as mockery.

When we reached the corner of the street, though, he changed. He'd been smiling at me, listening patiently, when he caught sight of something over my shoulder. His face paled suddenly and his smile disappeared.

I love my brother's smile. We have the same face, but his smile is so much better than mine. Maybe it's because I don't use it enough, but when I smile I'm sure I've never looked so…so sweet and gentle, so kind and almost innocent. I'll be the first to admit: 'sweet' and 'gentle' really just don't get along with me.

So when his smile disappeared, there was a slight warning that rippled through my mind. "What's wrong?"

More worrying. He shrank back, making himself as small as he could, like he was hiding behind me, and put a hand on my sleeve hesitantly. He was still staring straight across the street.

"What is it?" I asked again, perhaps a bit harshly, but I hate it when he does this. If I could change anything about him, the way he hides his problems would be the only thing.

He dropped his eyes down and mumbled. "It's him again…"

I turned and got my first glimpse of that…monster. I know I should have felt something from him, and maybe I did, but something about him made me dismiss him. He didn't _look_ dangerous. He looked even more sickly than nii-san does on his bad days, way too skinny to do much damage. And that hair of his, dangling and still wet, it was…pathetic-looking, really.

The only thing that bothered me at the time were his eyes. There was something…not quite right about them. I couldn't quite place it, but they bothered me. For some reason, they just…bothered me.

But at the time, I just brushed it off. After all, Junpei's eyes bother me, too, in the way finding a spider in the bath bugs me. So I guess I just brushed it off without even thinking.

"Who? That guy?" I nodded to him, frowning. "What's the big deal about him? He's just standing there."

"He's _always_ standing there." Kouichi muttered, not looking at the man with a definite air and pulling me around the corner by my arm. "Every day, to and from school, he's on every other corner. I think…I think he's _following_ me, Kouji."

I glared at the stranger as he vanished, naturally enough. "You know him?"

"No." Kouichi shook his head, straightening slowly. "He just…showed up. Out of nowhere."

I relaxed a bit. "He might just be a new neighbor. Someone who works around here."

"In a pressed suit, Kouji?"

I sighed, shaking my head and letting the conversation drop. We switched to school work, and to Takuya's latest detention-earning escapade. I didn't think about that man again.

A week later, my brother vanished into the rain…

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

You know, for twelve years I never even dreamed I had a brother. It's sort of strange, then, that being without him for a month tore me apart so much.

My father didn't seam to care all that much. He avoided the subject more than anyone else, spending his days in the office and his nights locked away in the computer room. Satome was kinder, as she's always been. She visited our mother almost daily, and did everything she could to comfort her.

Mother needed the comfort. I know she cared about both of us, but Kouichi was _her_ son, the one she'd raised by herself and worked so hard to support. She kept working even after he disappeared, to distract herself, I think.

I was with her the night he came back. It was a weekend, so I was staying with her for the evening. I'd come for dinner, and she always seamed to enjoy that. I slept on the couch. It didn't seam right to stay in…his room. Not with what happened.

Then doorbell rang, which was weird. It was after midnight, almost one. Who in all the hells would be here now?

Mother answered the door, wrapping a light robe around herself before peaking out of the window. I sat up, tense. Mom lives in a not-too-nice neighborhood, and there was _no way_ I would loose her, too.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Kimura-san. Inspector Kanbara. " I relaxed. The voice checked out against my ears. Takuya's dad. "I'm sorry to bother you this late, ma'am, but I need to speak with you."

"Of course." Mom started undoing the locks. Her hands were shaking. I didn't blame her, really. Kanbara-san was the head of the missing children department at the police station. In other words, he was in charge of looking for Kouichi.

She pulled the robe a bit more tightly around herself before she cracked open the door, keeping the chain on to make sure it was him. "What is it?"

"I have a bit of a surprise for you." Kanbara-san's voice held the same air Takuya's does when he's hiding something exciting.

"I don't quite under-" Mother cut off with a gasp as she opened the door the rest of the way. For a moment I thought she'd been stabbed or shot, the way she stared blankly out the door seconds before she dissolved into tears. She dropped out of my vision suddenly, hidden by the door.

"Mother!" I exclaimed, jumping up. It was only then that I heard what she was sobbing:

"My baby! My sweet, sweet little boy! Oh, thank goodness you're all right, Kouichi-chan!"

And it was him. He had curled slightly into mother's arms, gripping the cloth of her robe as though afraid she'd disappear. He wasn't talking. From the looks of things, I wasn't sure if he could. It made me ache just to see his condition, the bruises running up his arms, his neck, his face…

Everything seamed…unreal. Like a dream. If I got close enough to touch the dream, something whispered, it would disappear before I could reach it. Vanish, into thin air, and leave me here alone again…

"N…Nii-san?" I whispered hesitantly.

Kouichi looked up at me. His eyes…they're my eyes too, you know…were full of tears, not to mention the overhang of confusion and…and joy…

"K-Kouji…" He whimpered, breaking away from Mom. He stumbled a little, just enough for my reaction time to kick in and dive to catch him. His hands gripped my elbows as I steadied him, each standing shakily on our own two feet to look into each other's eyes.

He'd been hurt, that was obvious, and it made my blood boil in rage. A very strong part of me wanted to hunt down the hell-damned bastard who'd done this to him and show the twisted little freak what twelve years of Kendo and Kung-Fu training could retaliate with…but when I suddenly found brother's arms around my neck, his face sagging into my shoulder as he gasped about how much he'd missed me, I was calmed. He was home, he was safe now…

That was enough.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

He woke up screaming again last night.

"No…No, get away!"

The moment I heard him whimpering, I was awake. I've always been a light sleeper, but now I've trained myself to his voice.

Looking at him, you had to know it was bad. He was struggling with the blankets, gasping for breath, tears starting to trickle down his cheeks as he fought. His head was thrown back against the pillow as he wrestled with his sheets, tying them in knots around his arms.

It's been like this almost every night. The nightmares started the night after he came home, and have gotten worse ever since. At first he couldn't sleep at all, not unless mother was in the room. Now he gets to sleep easier, but the night terrors come again and again. Which is why I moved into a cot beside his bed.

It depresses me somewhat. When I slept over before all of this, we would share a bed. After sleeping out in the cold of the Digital World my brother's body heat became very comforting. But after…everything…having someone next to him in bed sent him into a panic.

But when he starts yelling like that, I don't have a choice.

"Nii-san." I whispered, taking him by the arm and shaking him. "Come on, wake up. It's just a dream. Wake up."

"No!" He began shaking terribly, trying to shake his arm loose. "Stay away! Let me go! No!"

One of his yanks pulled me with him as he tried to scramble away. He was somewhat conscious, I could tell, but he wasn't fully aware yet or he wouldn't be fighting me, flailing and yelling and kicking.

On instinct, I grabbed his other arm and pinned him, trying to keep him from hurting himself. "Nii-san, snap out of it!" I yelled, maybe a bit more harshly than I had to. "Stop- _Oof!_"

He kicked me squarely in the stomach. I'll tell you this, Kouichi-nii might _look_ sickly and he might _act_ gentle, but when he really means it, he hits _hard_. As in, 'hard enough to knock me off the bed if I hadn't been anchored down'.

"You're not with him any more! He's not here! It's just me! It's Kouji! Wake _up!_"

He struggled a moment longer before being reduced to hesitant whimpers. Slowly, his eyes opened to blink up at me tentatively. "K-Kouji…?"

"Yeah, it's me." I sighed and let go, sitting next to him as he sat up. "Are you all right, Nii-san?"

I wasn't really expecting him to throw his arms around me, or to collapse into tears in my lap, but that's exactly what he did. Next thing I know, his face was buried in my stomach, his arms wrapped tightly about my waist, and he was sobbing his head off.

"Nii-san…" I whispered softly, but put my arms around him. He sobbed, gripping my pajamas tightly as he did. A wave of shame washed over me, and part of me realized that it was his…the emotions he couldn't take were siphoning off to me.

"I'm sorry, Kouji." He sniffed, muffled. "I didn't mean to…I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"You don't have anything to be sorry for!" I snapped, and he winced. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down before I spoke. "It's all right…He's never going to hurt you again, I promise. There's no way he can find you here."

"No…He can…He can find me." Kouichi whimpered, turning his head away and holding my hand tremblingly. "He'll find me again, like he always did. I don't want him to hurt anybody else…"

I took a deep breath. "Kouichi, you're acting crazy." I soothed, running a hand through his hair. Mother told me once that she would do that when he got sick as a child, and it seams to soothe him. "There's no way that…that freak…can find you here. He's locked up, he'll never get near you again…"

"No…Kouji, you don't understand." He looked up at me. For a moment, he looked so…so young. Like an eight-year-old. "He's…He's _Duskmon_."

…

Well, how was I supposed to react? I just sat there as he went on, explaining everything as my brain tried to process the information. Duskmon? That freak, that 'Higure Koukon' man…was _Duskmon_? In a _human body_? It was impossible, it was crazy, it was…

The truth.

Kouichi doesn't lie, and even if he did, I'd be able to tell. We're brothers, after all. Twins. And he wasn't lying now, he wasn't making anything up, and he wasn't hysterical. It was the _truth_.

But did it really…?

"I…I tried to fight it, Kouji, really I did." He was whimpering again now, a few tears pricking at his eyes. "But he's stronger than he looks, and he knew everything about me, I couldn't get away-"

Automatically, my right hand reached out and placed its pointer finger on his lips, silencing him instantly. He blinked up at me in surprise a while before I'd collected myself enough to speak.

"It doesn't…matter." I finally whispered, taking my hand away and letting it drop back into his lap, grabbing on to his free hand. "It doesn't matter now, nothing does. He won't get away with this, you just wait and see. He won't get out this time. He _won't_."

For a moment, he looked confused, hesitant. "Kouji…"

"He _won't_." I stressed, gripping his hand lightly. "And even if he did, he'd never get to you again. _Never_."

My throat caught, dropping the last words to a soft whisper. "I…I won't let him."

There was a long, slow silence between us. I looked at him, and he looked at me, our eyes adjusting slightly to the combination of darkness and moonlight until his features were etched out as perfectly as a marble statue.

And then he smiled, the same sweet, kind, loving smile I'd been missing for so long.

"Thank you." He whispered softly, and we both went back to bed.

****

TBC…


	4. Flashback

As a note: Currently, the federal/state governments have no power to elicit the Death Penalty for rape unless it ends in murder, and I seriously doubt it's any more serious in Japan. (Last I knew, forced ritualistic suicide went out around World War 2...) Sorry…I wish I could hang the guy, too. Or gut him. Hara-kiri is a fascinating historical aspect…

**Warnings: Kidnapping, victim trauma, rape, bondage, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, strange fetishes and some nasty language. **

**POV: **3rd Person

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy_.

**Account of Abduction**

**Chapter 4: Flashback**

"Thank you for coming by, Tomoko-san…Kimura-kun…Minamoto-kun." The district attorney sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I understand the last few weeks have been very hard, on all of you…"

Kouji scowled at him. 'Hard on all of you' he said. Bleh. It had been hardest on Kouichi, now walking between his twin and his mother with a somewhat distant air, staring off into the distance as he always did now when he left the house. Even when surrounded by his friends he seemed ever so slightly panicked. Like he was scared, even when in the middle of the group, clutching his brother's hand. He refused to talk, as though afraid it would draw the monster's attention back to him outside of the safety of his home.

"…but I assure you this will be over quickly. Please, sit down."

They did so, accompanied by Iwata-san, a privately-operating lawyer. Despite everything he'd denied and hid from during Kouichi's disappearance, Kouji did have to admit that his father had put his money to good use in hiring the very best lawyer possible to work his son's case. Iwata-san was pushing for life in prison, though he did admit as a side that if the law had allowed the death penalty for rape, he'd have pushed that through instead.

The District Attorney pushed his glasses up his nose, placing his hand on a cardboard box with various labels, a few of which read 'Kimura', 'Koukon' and 'Evidence'.

"We found several possibly incriminating objects in Higure Koukon's home." The DA rattled off, shifting through the box's contents thoughtfully. "But none of it will hold up in court unless we can identify its use during…incident…"

He cast Kouichi a slightly nervous, slightly sorrowful look, wordlessly apologizing for having to bring it up. Kouji growled, sending his own wordless message: "_Spit it out!"_

The DA seamed to get the hint, as he cleared his throat uncomfortably. He reached into the box, shuffling through a few things. "Um…We just need to know a few extra details, to prepare a proper case."

Iwata narrowed his eyes somewhat haughtily. "Do get on with it."

"Indeed…" The DA removed something from the box, holding it at arm's length. It was a thick black collar, like on that should have belonged to a large dog. There was a small bit of chain dangling from it, one of the links broken. "This was found in Koukon's bedroom…"

Kouichi drew in a sharp breath when he saw it, gripping his brother's hand tightly. Kouji was instantly on alert, leaning over to whisper to him. "Nii-san, what is it?"

The other boy didn't respond. He just stared at the object, drawing in hesitantly soft breaths as though terrified by the thoughts it brought to his mind…

**( - )**

Kouichi groaned, rolling over to bury his head in a pillow, skillfully avoiding the sunlight. He didn't want to be seen, didn't want anyone to look at him. Three days trapped in this hell hole had reduced him to the level of a whipped dog, lying limp and almost numb with pain, embarrassment and utter shame.

His body ached. His wrists were heavily abraded from the ropes and handcuffs he'd been forced into time and time again. Bites and bruises are scattered liberally over his exposed shoulders, chest and neck, leading down past the waistline of his pants, the only item of clothing he'd been allowed to put back on after…after…

Tears sprung unbidden into his eyes as he thought of what Koukon…Duskmon… had done to him every night since he'd been brought here. He didn't want to think of the shame of it all, the disgrace…

"_Got to get out of here…"_

The thought came from nowhere, but elicited a spark of determination. With newfound strength, he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked blurrily around his 'quarters'. it was small and dark, with one door…looked from the outside, he knew without even trying…shelf after shelf filled of mortifyingly kinky devices mounted on the wall, and a single window…

Window!

Kouichi slid out of the bed, thankful now that last night's 'activities' had left him so wasted that Duskmon had removed the bonds when he left, expecting the teen to be unconscious or unable to move until he returned. Having a bit more constitution than most would expect from his thin, lithe body, Kouichi was more than able to move slowly, stealthily to the window and set to work on the latch.

It soon became very obvious that the window hadn't been opened in a very long time. The latch was stiff and stuck, so small it was hard for even his small, strong adolescent hands to get a grasp on it. It took a lot of groaning and grunting, he managed to pull the latch open, undoing the lock.

"Yes…" Kouichi sighed, planting his hands under the window ledge and pulling up. It, too, was old and stubborn, but it inched up ever so slowly until he could slip his fingers under the grate and yank it up with all his might.

It stuck about halfway up, but it would do. It was more than wide enough for the thin, lithe boy to crawl out. He could see the green, manicured lawn spread out before him, the road stretching into the distance, the pale lights of the city glowing in the sunset…

Behind him, a lock suddenly clicked into place. He drew in a sharp gasp, willing himself not to turn around even as the door opened slowly, especially as he already had his shoulders out the window and was planting his hands in the grass for the extra push.

"Oh-ho." Koukon's voice floated to his ears. "My little pet is trying to run away, is he?"

A hand suddenly seize his ankle, dragging him backwards. Kouichi grabbed the grass to stop himself, ripping several blades out of the ground as he did. He managed to pull himself a bit more forward against the strength of his captor desperately.

Quite suddenly, the window suddenly slammed down, right into the small of his back. The boy couldn't help but cry out as pain rippled up his spine, his hands releasing their grip on a conditioned response.

Koukon laughed softly, dragging him back into the room and slamming the window the rest of the way shut. Kouichi backed into the wall, still on all fours, and was cornered almost too easily.

"You've been a bad boy." Koukon tut-tutted, reaching down to run his fingers along Kouichi's cheek sensuously. "And I'm afraid bad boys have to be punished."

The gentle caress suddenly transformed into a harsh slap, one with enough force the knock the boy over into the corner. Kouichi barely had time to react before Koukon kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs in a single swoop. The boy curled up on instinct, gripping his stomach painfully.

"There now." Koukon reached down and seized the boy roughly by the scruff of the neck, pulling him up painfully. "Have you learned your lesson yet, pet?"

There was no reply, just a soft gasping for breath and a desperate attempt to struggle to his feet. Koukon frowned, moving to grip his hair. "Answer me." He hissed softly, pulling just a bit harder. "I want an answer, pet. Have you learned your lesson?"

The boy gulped hesitantly. "Y-Yes…"

"What?" Koukon leaned forward. "I can't hear you."

"I…I'm s-sorry…" Kouichi groaned, his hands moving to try and pull the fist from his hair. "I won't…I won't do it again…"

"I trust you won't." Koukon hissed, releasing suddenly and taking him by surprise. He used that few seconds to snatch both of the boy's wrists, pulling them tightly behind his back. "But unfortunately, I don't think I can trust you anymore, pet."

He dragged the boy forward, kicking open the door as he did to shove him into the main house. Kouichi had never been in this part of the mansion before, not once during his week-long stay, but he didn't have time to admire the fancy furnishings as he was forced down the long, thin, dark hall.

At the very end was a large, wooden door with gold finishing all around. It lead to the master bedroom, a huge room with wide windows, decorative paintings on the white walls, plush blue carpets and beautiful oaken furniture. The primary feature was a huge four-poster bed with blue curtains, silver and gold ropes tying the drapes open.

Koukon dragged Kouichi to the far side of the bed, kicking his legs out from under him to drop him to his knees. One hand held him threateningly by the shoulder, nails digging in to the soft flesh as the other hand began to search the bed stand behind him.

"Here we are." The hand suddenly removed itself, moving to Kouichi's throat with its partner. The boy froze, thinking he was about to be throttled, and was surprised when he was suddenly released.

"There." A sickening smile slide over Koukon's face. "That will keep the pet from running away."

Kouichi's hands moved hesitantly to his neck, afraid of what he would find. His fingers brushed something thick and made of leather, wrapping around his neck in a single band, connecting with a heavy metal buckle.

"_Oh god, no…" _He thought desperately, exploring his new accessory more. Another piece of metal lead from it to become a silver chain that was connected to the bedpost beside the wall. A leash. And a collar. Chained like a dog at his 'master's beside, and there was a lock. He couldn't get free.

"You like it?" Higure Koukon grinned at him vilely, running his fingers down the boy's bared chest. "I had it made just for you, my lovely little pet. Isn't it nice? It matches your pretty eyes."

The boy looked up at him, his 'pretty' eyes radiating with both fear and hatred. Koukon just smiled wider, stroking his hair as though he was a cat. "You'll learn to obey me, in time, my little…"

**( - )**

"Kouichi? Kouichi, honey, what is it?"

The boy snapped back to reality with a startled gasp. His mother was holding his hand in both of hers, the eyes he had inherited from her glowing with worry. He blinked at her a moment, then at his brother, and then at the attorney in front of him, still holding the black leather collar in one hand.

"Kimura-kun?" Iwata-san asked softly, leaning over his briefcase and pushing his glasses up seriously. "Is there something wrong?"

"Are you okay, Nii-san?" Kouji's voice was soft, but held a hard, serious tone.

Kouichi blinked once more, then nodded his head in response to his brother's question. He turned back to the district attorney once more, and the older man seamed very disturbed by the whole thing. "Um…perhaps we could continue this another time, Kimura-kun."

Kouichi shook his head. Very softly, he opened his mouth and spoke in a slow, somewhat hesitant voice. "I'm…okay, sir. Please…continue."

_**Chapter 4 - End**_

Not my best chapter. The next one will probably be more satisfying. It's from Tomoko-san's point of view, because I adore Mama Kimura, especially her relationship with Kouichi-kun. It's sooo sweet…

BTW, if you're wondering why Kouichi's not speaking, it's a post-traumatic stress disorder known as 'Selective Mutism'. Basically, the silence makes a mental barrier with the rest of the world, to protect him from more damage as he recovers. Selective Mutes usually recover within a year or two of being removed from their object of stress, with proper therapy, but others are not so lucky and it can develop into a permanent social disorder. I've experimented with Kouichi being Selectively Mute before, in another trauma-related story that got half-way finished before running out of steam. It just seams like the kind of reaction he'd have to that kind of abuse and fear. And don't mind my psycho-babble…I get into my mother's old college textbooks when I'm bored, and she majored in Psychology. Explains a lot, huh?


	5. Mama

Lookie lookie! I finally got to use the why-Kouichi-is-weaker-than-Kouji scene that's been in my mind for years!

**Warnings: Kidnap-victim trauma, mention of rape, neglect and other things that lead to a severe inferiority complex.**

**POV: **Tomoko Kimura

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy_.

**Account of Abduction**

**Chapter 5: Mama**

Kouichi was never really Kousei's son.

I've known it for years, ever since the boys were very small. Kousei and I… disagreed on many things, but especially on parenting. Kousei had this mental idea of what a son should be like: strong and athletic, brave and confident. He grew attached to Kouji because he was the son Kousei had always dreamed of.

I think that was also why he nearly rejected Kouichi. Kouichi was everything Kousei thought a son _shouldn't_ be: quiet and meek, kind-hearted and above all else, sickly.

Not that he was sickly his entire life, mind you. Both boys were born the way most twins are, slightly premature and not in the greatest of health. It was three weeks before we were allowed to take them home from the hospital, and even then we had to keep a very close eye on the both of them. But as they got older, they grew into health like any other children.

Well…mostly…

I suppose the separation really started when the boys were four. It was mid-winter, late January at the time. We were on one of the family walks that used to be so common before our relationship fell apart. There was a river near our apartment at the time, one that was only just starting to thaw in the light chill.

The boys were playing with each other as we walked, a game of tag. They were so very close when they were younger, the game was almost never-ending, since they each knew exactly where the other was going to move. Then something strange happened… I don't know if it was the ice or if one of them mis-stepped…but all of a sudden, the boys tripped.

Kouji fell first, I think, and accidentally grabbed Kouichi's ankle. Kouichi stumbled a bit more than his brother and fell to the side, rolling down the bank and straight through the thin ice.

At least, that's what I assume happened. The first Kousei or I saw of the incident was Kouji running back up, frantic, and Kouichi screaming for help down below. Kousei went down after him. The water was barely over a meter high at the time, waist-height on Kousei, and the ice paper-thin, so it was easy enough for him to pluck Kouichi out, but my poor baby was soaked to the bone and freezing.

We went straight home and got them both into a warm bath and dry clothes, hoping that would stem off whatever cold would come, but that wasn't enough. Kouichi-kun got sick, and then he got worse, a severe case of pneumonia that spread into his lungs. It got so bad we had to take him to the hospital, where they kept him for a week.

I remember how worried Kouji was when we took him in. As we left that first night he asked me, "Mama, Ichi-nii's gonna be okay, right?"

I told him he would be, of course. He had to be.

Eventually, with time and medicine, Kouichi managed to recover, but the doctors did tell us that the disease had affected his immune system. As a result, he'd be more susceptible to viruses for the rest of his life, and he did get sick many times when he was a child.

I suppose that's part of the reason Kousei asked me to take him. Kousei was never very good at taking care of the boys when they felt bad, and Kouichi was ill so often he never had a chance to grow strong and good at sports the way Kouji did. Kouichi was _my _little boy, I was the one he came to when he was sick.

And I loved him for it. He was always so sweet, so loving, so willing to help no matter what mother or I needed, and he never complained, not once. He was sensitive, too, never asking about his father or pressing us for information when he knew Mother and I couldn't handle it.

Although he grew steadily healthier and stronger as the years went by, he always remained somewhat feeble, deep down. I guess that's why it was so easy for that monster to get ahold of him…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

No one slept that first night after Hiroaki-san brought him home, but then again, no one really wanted to. Kouichi was in tears for hours, clinging to me, to Kouji and even to the Inspector just before he left for home. Kouji was furious when he heard what his brother had been put through, demanding that Kanbara-san tell all the details and occasionally left the room to take his frustrations out where it wouldn't bother Kouichi. Me, all I wanted to do was stay there on the couch with my baby in my arms, to hold him close, stroke his hair, hear his voice…

Needless to say, the next day we were all exhausted, but there wasn't time to sleep. Kanbara-kun, Orimoto-chan and the others came to visit that afternoon, and Kouichi-kun was overjoyed to see them again. They left just before dinner, and Kouji with them, swearing to be back by the next morning.

But even through his exhaustion, Kouichi's demons plagued him and kept him from rest.

It was almost midnight when he came in the first night. I'd just turned out my reading lights and was only just settling down when he came in. He didn't knock, but I know he wasn't trying to be rude. He cracked the door open slightly, letting the light from the hall fall in onto my bed.

I rubbed my eye and sat up. "Kouichi? What is it?"

It was then I noticed that he was crying. That is, he wasn't sobbing or anything…but his eyes were full of tears and his lip was trembling. It's the kind of sight to make a mother's heart break. I beckoned him over. "Sweetheart, what is it? What's wrong?"

He reached for me, pulling himself close and sobbing lightly. "Mama…" He whimpered, holding tight and burying his face in by lap. "M-Mama…Mom…"

He seamed so small, so young, so frightened. My baby, my sweet baby…in so much pain. It was like a knife straight into a mother's heart. I couldn't stand to see him like that. But what could I do? What could any mother do?

I suppose just one thing.

"Hush now, baby." I whispered, running my fingers through his soft hair, pulling him close. "Mommy's here now. Everything's going to be okay…"

He sniffed, turning slightly to look up at me again. "Ma…Mama…"

"Yes, sweetheart?" I cooed and clicked my tongue. "Is there anything I could do?"

He stared at me blankly It hurt, somewhat. I wanted my baby back, my sweet little boyu who always had such love and hope in his eyes. There was nothing in them now, no gentle glow of love, no gleaming light…nothing.

I've never hated anyone before, not my boss, not even Kousei after everything he did to me. But at that moment I hated _him_. The monster who did this to my baby, the one who stole the light from his eyes…

But for Kouichi's sake, I kept a smile on my face. "Would it make you feel better if I called Kouji?"

He shook his head. I frowned a little and put a hand to his forehead. "You don't feel warm…" I looked down at him again. "Are you feeling sick? Would you like something to help you sleep?"

He shook his head again and blinked up at me sweetly, sleepily. "Mama?"

"Yes?" I smiled again.

He put his arms around my waist again and lay his head in my lap. "Don't…" He gulped slightly and nestled in to the blankets. "Don't go away…please? Can I…Can I stay, please Mama?"

His voice had become a small, almost childlike squeak. According to the doctor Kanbara-san had examine him, his vocal cords had been wounded from constant strain, what they needed was rest and some warm, soothing tea, to give them pleanty of time to heal.

But what Kouichi-kun needed now didn't have anything to do with physical pain. He was scared, frightened by something…a nightmare? Whatever it was, the cure was simple: he just didn't want to be alone.

"Please Mama?" He whimpered painfully again. "I don't…want to go…"

"Hush now." I soothed, leaning down to kiss his forehead and tuck him gently under the covers. "It's all right now, baby. Mama's not going anywhere."

My baby smiled at me lovingly, then closed his father's blue eyes and slept.

_**TBC…**_

Hell, short chapter, and not a very good one either…I really was trying, you know.


	6. Venting

Wow. This one is more…intense…than the others. Just warning you, I can't up the rating anymore, but I'm pushing it. This is short, because I wrote it during a Deadline Monday evening (when I stay at school until 9 working on the school newspaper. I had a lot of free time this round)

**Warnings: Minor violence, lots of bad language _(who knew Kouji had such a mouth?) _mention and imagining of rape, bondage, neglect and abuse; and a violent assault on a perfectly innocent pine tree.**

**POV: **3rd Person

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy_.

**Account of Abduction**

**Chapter 6: Venting**

"Goddamn _bastard!_"

Kouji cursed loudly, slamming his fist into the tree with all the might his arm, shoulders and legs could muster. The bark splintered under the force, small flakes falling to the ground in a flurry, and the boy's knuckles cracked painfully, but he didn't care. He paused a second to allow the stinging pain a long moment to subside, then shifted his feet to slam the other fist into the same spot.

"Goddamn fucking son of a _bitch_!" He swore, effectively using all of the blasphemies that had been spewed at him over his relatively short lifespan. It was being very loud, but was somewhat confident that his mother couldn't hear him. She was still inside the small ground-floor apartment with Inspector Kanbara, the solidly-sealed back door keeping his rather obscene opinions from her ears…and his brother's.

His brother…

The fist connected with living wood once more at the thought, slightly softer than before. His brother was safely inside the house, finally home after all this time. Kouichi had been…missing…for so long, it was such a wonder to think of it he could hardly believe it was true. His brother was _home_…

The next train of thought sent his blood boiling, sparking the memory of Kanbara-san's explanation. Where he'd found Kouichi, what he'd been wearing…no, _forced_ to wear…and all the things that…that _bastard_ had done to him!

What was his name? Kouji paused a moment to search his mind and came up with 'Higure Koukon', which just pissed him off more as he pounded away again. His father had mentioned Koukon once or twice, always speaking of him very highly. "An admirable success," he always called the blonde, beaming at the newspaper. "Rising from adversity into the realm of glory." To his father's eyes, young Koukon was an 'inspiration to a new generation of businessmen.'

Of course, that had been weeks ago, over breakfast and the morning paper, when the Business and Commerce section was the only thing in it that interested the busy C.E.O., before the headlines were a blaring reminder of his missing son. It seemed like ages ago, but it had only been a few weeks.

Kouji slammed his fist into the tree once more, now ferociously angry at himself. 'Just a few weeks', hah! In those 'few weeks', those endlessly long weeks, his _brother_ had been forced to stay with that damn son of a bitch. In those 'weeks', the most important person in the Kouji's world had been bound, beaten and treated like a goddamn sex slave! What did _he _have to complain about, after the hell Nii-san had been through?

He'd seen a picture of Koukon once before, in the newspaper. The black and white image of a thin blonde man with an unnaturally stretched smile danced in front of his eyes. . Kouji hated every inch of him, his thin face, cold smile, ragged eyes, everything. He punched at the image and hit the tree again, which now had a decent dent in the wood bared under the cracked, falling bark.

Another image was pushing its way into his head, painting itself across the darkness of the night with an icy, silver-tipped brush, the artist's hand careless and light, accompanied by a dark laugh that sent Kouji's sensitive nerves aflame. The picture moved, slow and fluid, the lines crisscrossing and changing patterns oh-so-slightly, right before his eyes…

He saw his brother there, in a dark room, curled up in the farthest corner possible. His hands, bound in front of him with heavy coils of rope, were clutched as tightly to his body as the bonds would allow, making his already thin form curl into a tiny ball, shrinking into the corner and hiding desperately from sight. He was bare-chested, the long cuts and dark bruises clear as they dotted the pale skin, marring the smooth flesh like so many craters. A pair of tattered black pants were the only thing covering his lower half, hanging open at the top without a button and ending in tattered rages. As though in mockery of the collar and chain leash holding him to the cold stone wall, a pair of felt kitty ears were perched amongst the tangled strands of blue-black hair.

Across the room, a door opened, casting a beam of silver light into the corner. Doe-like blue eyes looked up and instantly flowed with rivers of gleaming saltwater upon the already-damp cheeks.

"No…" Whimpered the captive helplessly, shrinking back into his corner. "No, please. Stay away…"

The blonde man smirked past his long, unruly hair, his thin hands with their claw-like nails slipping to unbutton the classy white designer shirt. "Now now, pet." He scolded, discarding the top as he crossed the room, then leaning down to caress the boy's bruised cheek. "You should know better than to refuse me."

The boy shrank back, silver tears splashing from his eyes. "No…No, no!"

Koukon slapped him hard enough to slam his head against the wall, knocking the kitty ears to their floor. He seized the boy's collar and yanked him forward into a bruising kiss, ignoring his whimpers and cries of pain. Holding the strap of leather with one hand, tightening it to the point of strangling, Koukon snaked his free hand down the bare chest and into the loose brim of the black pants…

"Get the hell away from him, you damn bastard!" Kouji snarled savagely, fists flying. The silver images shattered on impact, falling into a rain of stardust. He continued to pound, fist against wood, again and again, great chunks of bark falling off to reveal the bare wood beneath, raw and white without its covering. He struck again and again, stopping only when a sudden knife of pain rippled up his arm. He stopped then, arm outstretched, knuckles pressed against the tree, gasping for breath.

Behind him, the back door opened and a blanket of golden light fell out. "Minamoto-kun?"

Kouji turned. It was Inspector Kanbara, one hand resting on the doorknob and the other inside the pocket of his blue police blazer, the brown eyes he shared with his carefree son overflowing with parental concern.

"It's late." He said softly. "Wouldn't you like to come back inside?"

Kouji took a deep breath and nodded, feeling somewhat empty inside. In the light he noticed the pale shade of red on the tree's raw white wood and realized that several layers of skin had been removed from the top of his knuckles. His fingers felt raw, and a small trickle of blood was ran from his middle finger.

Inspector Kanbara took this all in without a word, stepping back to allow the teen into his own house. Kouji shuffled in silently, not waiting for the door to close behind him, and made his slow way to the living room.

His brother was there, head pillowed in their mother's lap. A smile of peaceful bliss was on his gentle lips as the woman ran her fingers through his soft hair, gently crooning the lulabye she had lured them to sleep with as children. His eyes, though one of them was slightly puffy, were closed in utmost peace.

Kouji smiled and forgot the pain in his hands, the emptiness inside him lifting away to make room for a new warmth. Inspector Kanbara placed a large, gentle hand on his shoulder supportively. "You think you'll be all right now?"

The boy smirked softly and nodded. "Yeah…I think we will."

_**TBC…**_


	7. Spiritual Connections

**Warnings: Er…angst. And some bad language on Lobomon's part. But not too much.**

**POV: **Lobomon

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy_.

**Account of Abduction**

**Chapter 7: Spiritual Connections**

It isn't generally known, but the feelings and emotions of those humans once bound to our Spirits remain a part of us even after we have been separated from them. The six of us, that is, six warriors out of the ten, still have an empathetic relationship with our human 'partners'. We feel what they feel. Their joy is our joy. Their pain…is our pain.

So when Lowemon suddenly, without warning, removed himself from the rest of us, everyone know something had happened to Kouichi.

The fact that this all went on barely a month after Duskmon's digital 'essence' disappeared from its captivity deep below Seraphimon's castle did not sit well with anyone. There had been no trace of it, so the Great Angels could only assume that the virus had escaped into the Human World, where we could not interfere.

Minute changes in the other Warriors indicated how far the problem had stretched. Kazemon became gradually more anxious and scatterbrain, forgetting what she had said seconds before with awkward moments of distant expressions in between. Agunimon grew depressive and melancholy to an almost alarming point, especially for his usually bright, happy attitude. Beatlemon's body let off nervous sparks every few minutes, while Kumamon's aura became icier and more distant than ever.

I was not immune. Kouji's anxieties and anger pulsed through my being with unsurprising fury, driving me to snappish reactions and brutal retorts to the most innocent questions, occasionally developing into violent outbursts. Which is why I waited until my emotions were firmly under control to visit Lowemon.

It wasn't that I didn't care. That would be impossible.

It was just…I didn't want to cause him any more suffering than he was already going through. It would kill me to be the source of his pain. Lowemon is just as much my brother as Kouichi is Kouji's, we were as such even before the Children were called in. I remember, though it must have been decades upon decades ago, how the two of us used to play and train together daily as only In-Training level Digimon. There was not a time before our separation at the hands of Lucemon that I can recall us being apart. He's precious to me.

So, naturally, I worry for him. Which is why, after composing myself, I sought him out.

I found him in one of the lower levels of the Rose Morning Star castle, contained to one of the chambers he'd been given by Cherubimon after the three Angels regained their powers. Ophanimon had offered me similar lodgings, but I had refused.

The room was dark and had a pleasant hint of a chill about it, just the sort of place my spiritual shadow-brother would seek comfort. He sat in a corner, his back against the wall, his long legs curled up so he could cross his arms over them and rest his head upon them.

His golden-brown eyes gazed up at me painfully as I walked to his side, echoing sadly in the shadows of his helmet. Everything about him seemed tired, nearly exhausted.

I could feel his pain just by laying eyes on him. His aura pulsed with physical wariness, tinged red with gleaming pain. He had chosen such a position so he could not have to move his aching joints more than necessary.

But despite all of this, he managed to smile at me and whisper, "Hello, brother."

"Good evening." I muttered and sat beside him. I wanted to hold him, but it would only cause him more pain, so I chose to sit as close as I could and share warmth. I said nothing. If he wanted to speak, he would.

And he did.

"Lobo…" He gulped with a dry mouth. "Kouichi…He's hurting him…"

"Duskmon?" I whispered.

Lowemon nodded and shuddered lightly. "Kouichi…He's all alone and…and scared, in so much pain. He…Duskmon…he's taken so much from him."

I reached out and took his hand. He held on limply, unable to grip for all the pain racking his form. "We'll find a way," I whispered. "We'll find a way to drag that…monster…back here. We'll make him pay…"

"It won't be enough." Lowemon shuddered again and groaned under another stab of pain. "What he stole…What Duskmon stole from him…It won't get it back. There's nothing we can do to make it come back."

The tone of his voice worried me. It had dropped to a hesitant, ashy whisper, dry-mouthed and tortured, the voice of a broken man. Lowemon is, I suspect, a model for the type of man Kouichi will be when he grows up, though whether that is the affect of their ever-present contact and connection, I do not know. But as a result, Lowemon is…sensitive. Gentle. And feeling Kouichi's pain while he was utterly helpless to assist was tearing him apart.

In the privacy of my own mind, I cursed Duskmon for not just killing the poor boy and getting it over with quickly.

I know how horrible that sounds, but I couldn't help but wish it had been as such. If Kouichi _had_ died, his suffering would be over and he would be free of Duskmon's grasp forever. Lowemon would be free as well, away from the pain and the torture, free to strike out against the Virus that had once possessed his spirits and avenge his innocent charge.

But because of Duskmon's twisted nature of constantly toying with his prey, they were both stuck in a wallowing pit of despair and torture.

"It won't be enough." Lowemon repeated again in a painful groan. "We're too late, Lobo. There's no way we can get it back…"

"What?" I finally asked, squeezing his hand a bit more. "What are you talking about? What did Duskmon take?"

Lowemon looked up at me with a pained, aching, longing look. His voice was on the very edge of breaking.

"His innocence." He whispered, stressing the words. "Duskmon stole his _innocence_."

It took a long while for me to fully understand what exactly he meant. Most Digimon wouldn't have been able to gasp it at all, seeing as, born such as we are, the concepts of 'sex', how incredibly personal it is, and the trauma of being forced into such an act are all inconceivable to us. But for Lowe, the others, and I, our bond with the humans gave us some sense of what it truly meant.

It also gave way to some colorful language, as the first words out of my mouth were, "Son of a bitch."

Lowemon actually smiled, if only a little bit. The tirade that followed, which involved the use of the word 'bastard' at least five times in three sentences, made him smile a bit more. He finds it entertaining when I react so badly, no matter what his mood.

But at least he could smile.

My anger was quelled by this, but it only settle a bit when a familiar ripple rolled quietly through our beings. The peace it brought was very…familiar. It was a Calling.

"What the hell do they want now?" I muttered, rising to my knees.

"Don't take it out on them, Lobo." My Shadow-Brother begged. "The Angels are trying their best, you know that."

I sighed and pulled myself to my full height. The Calling, which all of th Ten Warriors could sense, was loud and pretty close to us, which meant we were being called to Cherubimon's audience chamber only a few floors up.

But before I could head up there to see what they wanted, Lowemon reached up and grabbed my arm with both of his hands.

"Help me up." He muttered, tugging like a small child. "I'm going too."

I faltered. "Can you…can you even walk?"

"Of course I can. Help me up."

I can't refuse him anything, I never have been able to, so I pulled him up and hoisted his arm over my shoulders. He limped, which meant that either his foot fallen asleep, or that Kouichi's ankle was badly injured. I hoped for the former as we trudged up the stairs together, making sure to keep the pace even enough that he wouldn't be hurt.

When we stumbled through the grand doors of Cherubimon's audience chamber, the Three Angels and the gathered Warriors all reacted with a certain amount of surprise.

"Oh, Lowemon!" Gasped Kazemon, racing up to us with a flurry of her butterfly wings. "We've been so worried about you! Are you all right? Here, let me help you sit down…"

"I'm fine. I'm fine!" Lowemon groaned. He hates it when others fuss over him, always has. Beatlemon dragged a chair over for him and Kazemon and I made him sit down anyway.

Ophanimon looked down (if only because she's a good half a meter taller than any of us) at our Spirit of Darkness with her ever-kind eyes. "There was no need for you to attend this meeting, Lowemon." She said gently. "I know the pain you are in must be terrible indeed."

Lowemon gave her a light nod of the head, a dismissive bow, and muttered that she shouldn't worry about his health at a time like this. Cherubimon sighed and gave him a sympathetic look…he's always felt guilty for putting Kouichi and Lowemon through Duskmon's pain the first time around, and this new outbreak is paining him as much as any of us.

Seraphimon, ever the supreme justice in this world, opened the meeting as calmly as he could. Eight of the Ten Warriors had gathered there, missing only Grumblemon (who was monitoring Drimogemon mining in the mountain regions) and Mercurimon (checking up on the scientific discoveries of several Vademon and one very clever Datamon in the southern part of the Continent of Ice, heaven only knew when we'd see him again). With the three Angels, our little circle was nearly complete.

Of course, the first thing asked when he opened the floor came from Agunimon's mouth. "Have you found Duskmon yet?"

All three Angels winced visibly. Seraphimon let out a sigh. "Yes…"

"REALLY!"

…There _are_ times when the Angels regret choosing children to meld with our six Spirits, if only because the eager, childish reactions from several full-grown 'adults' makes for a bit of a noisy situation.

"Where is he?" Kumamon gasped.

"How'd ya find 'em?" Ranamon asked breathlessly.

"And when do we get our hands on him?" Beatlemon slammed one sparking fist into the other palm, a grinning Arbormon nodding behind him with a few eager chortles.

Cherubimon waved an awkward paw, trying to get some sort of order. "Settle down, settle down, please."

We managed to get quiet all at once. Ophanimon cleared her throat and continued. "We have found Duskmon. He entered the Human World by possessing the body of a human…an older man, mentally unstable."

"And…as we feared…" Seraphimon took a deep breath to prepare us all for the next few words. "He has captured Kouichi, without knowledge of his family nor of the Human Police."

There was a decent amount of mumbling. I scowled a bit. "So what are we going to do about it?"

A few more mumbles. Cherubimon leaned back in his seat with a pained sigh. "We can't. We can't do anything."

The mumbles turned into angry shouts, another mini-riot in the making.

"You've got to be joking!" Kumamon exclaimed.

"We can't just leave him there!" Beatlemon shouted.

Kazemon whirled around suddenly. "Lowemon!"

I shot to him. My spiritual brother was hunched over again, gripping his abdomen with both arms, the face behind his mask contorted with pain. In an instant, I was at his side again, rubbing his back to comfort him as best I could.

"See?" Agunimon exclaimed, motioning to Lowemon with both hands. "This is our problem too! I can't believe you're just going to let Duskmon run around in the Human World just because of a few lame rules!"

Ophanimon raised one hand in a silencing motion, lowering it in the follow silence with a mysterious smile on her face. "Do not fear." She said softly. "Though we cannot interfere directly, we are doing everything we can to rectify the situation."

The group was finally completely quiet, all eyes on the female angel. She continued to grin mysteriously, her explanation as cryptic as ever. "We are able to alter the strands of probability just enough for an otherwise coincidental event to occur with a much higher likelihood."

Unfortunately, none of us understood what she either. So we turned to Seraphimon for an explanation of the explanation, which he quickly obliged.

"In a few weeks, there will be an…event…a Duskmon's new home." He smiled an almost mischievous smile. "We have managed to pull at the strings of possibility to make sure that certain 'friend' is there that should put an end to all of this."

Ranamon blinked. "Who?"

Cherubimon smiled now, as well. "A man named Hiroaki Kanbara."

And it all went into motion from there.

_**TBC…**_

Dammit, that ending sucked, but I couldn't think of anything else…I hope the meat of the chapter was enough for you guys. I'll get a better ending next time…somehow…


	8. Friendship

**Warnings: Minor shonen-ai hints (humorous), mention of homosexual statutory rape and a bit of harsh language.**

**POV: **Takuya Kanbara

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy_.

**Account of Abduction**

**Chapter 8: Friendship**

For some reason, this who incident drove me up the wall. I mean, I know the reason…one of my friends was kidnapped, for god's sake! But I don't think I would have reacted the same way if it had been Izumi or even Kouji. You know how things are. I have a bond with all my friends, but they're all different. The bonds, I mean. Kouichi's was more different than the others knew.

I mean, I did share his first kiss.

…Get that thought out of your heads, dammit! It wasn't like that!

You're still thinking it, aren't you?

…Dangit! No, we're NOT together! It was a DARE!

It was a party, a guys-only thing one of our classmates was throwing. We were in jr. high, about 13, back when most of us were still at the 'girls have cooties' stage but somehow found ourselves…interested…in that kinda stuff, you know?

Anyway, it was just some stupid party my friend Matsuda was throwing for the guys in our class, and somebody suggested a game of Truth or Dare. How girly can you get, right? My mother used to play that games at sleepovers when she was in high school. But we were bored and had nothing else to do, so we eventually gave in and started in on the game.

Now remember, we're middle school kids. Our Truths are pretty pathetic. I think the most shocking one was a 'most embarrassing moment' involving accidentally going into the girl's locker room during an early morning practice and being half naked when the girls came in. Junpei and I could admit that we'd seen a girl undress, albeit by accident, but we didn't earn those bruises for nothing you know…

As such, most people took dare, and those got a bit weird. One guy had to sneak into Matsuda's older sister's room and soak one of her bras in ice water, then put it back in the drawer without her knowing it. Somebody else had to strip down to his briefs (since none of us wanted to see him naked) and run through every room in the house, including the bathrooms and the one where Mrs. Matsuda was watching television. Matsuda himself had to jump in their pool fully clothed. In the middle of January.

This is a lesson: never leave a bunch of pre-teen or teenage boys unattended. Things get exceptionally weird.

Anyway, once Matsuda came back from changing his clothes it was his turn to pick somebody for the dare. So of course, that meant it was my turn. I've known Matsuda since we were six, he's been on my soccer team or on an opposing one ever since then. So, naturally enough, he picked me.

"Alrighty, Takuya." He grinned at me broadly, leaning into the center of the circle we were all sitting in. "Truth or dare?"

Did he have to ask? Even though I could see Kouji rolling his eyes at me from my left said, I, of course, said, "Dare."

There was the traditional chorus of ooh's from half of the guys. Kouji rolled his eyes again. Matsuda had this huge grin on his face as he motioned me over. We'd only been playing for an hour and I already know what _that_ meant: This dare was at somebody else's expense as well as mine. And from the look on Matsuda's face, it was a dozy.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from him. What I _wasn't_ expecting was exactly what he said: "Pick a guy in the room and kiss him. On the lips."

For once, I was…speechless.

Okay, so I wasn't exactly speechless. I freaked.

Then Matsuda reminded me that it was a dare, and this _was_ Truth or Dare, and I'd already used up my one good Truth collaborating with Junpei's story of accidentally walking in on Izumi. So I started narrowing it down to the guy least likely to take it personally, or at least, someone I knew well enough that they'd know it wasn't serious.

I didn't know most of them, and I'm not crazy enough to try something like this with somebody I don't know. As a result, the short list had four people: Matsuda, Junpei, Kouji and Kouichi.

Junpei was out. There was no way in hell that was happening. Ew.

Matsuda was knocked out shortly after that. He was my friend and all, but I just couldn't do it. Besides, he made the dare. I'm sure something about that meant he was immune.

That left the twins. Kouji looked bored, like he normally did when I dragged him to a party, his head in his hands and elbows propped up against his knees. He was toying with the end of his pony tail, like he did sometimes when he was bored. I'll never know what his fascination with his hair is…it's almost like a girl.

Kouichi looked sleepy, which, to tell the truth, wasn't anything new. He's always slept a lot, ever since I first met him. It's darn near impossible to get him out of bed in the morning, and he dozes off anytime he doesn't have to concentrate. Usually, when we get together as a group to watch rented videos and turn the lights off, he's asleep on Kouji's shoulder before the opening credits are done. I think he enjoys it more that way.

Thinking it over, Kouji would have beat me into a pulp either way…he's darn over-protective sometimes, of Kouichi I mean, hate to think how he's feeling now… but when pushed came to shove Kouichi could probably talk his brother out of actually killing me if he was on the receiving end.

So that's why I did it, you know. I went back across the room, aiming for my place but also a bit to the right, as all of the guys leered excitedly about what I might have to do.

I sat down without doing anything, taking a deep breath, drawing out the suspense. Some of the less-patient guys started to get irritable. Matsuda gave me a Look. If I didn't do it soon, I was going to get branded a coward for backing out of a dare.

"What's wrong, Takuya?" Kouichi asked. And he was smiling at me, that cute smile he reserves exclusively for being cute and adorable and generally kitten-like. "Matsuda-san didn't ask for anything unreasonable, did he?"

The cute look made it easier. It makes him look like a girl.

So I leaned over and answered his question, as well as the dare.

**( - ) ( - )** **( - )**

If I'd known he'd never been kissed before, I wouldn't have done it. Honestly, I wouldn't have - I'm not that kind of guy. But I honestly thought he'd at least gotten a peck before, which is all we really shared, since the twins were always real popular with the girls and Kouichi had made friends with Chiaki (a.k.a. 'the Angemon & friends girl') about the time they realized that they went to the same elementary school.

As predicted, Kouji followed up my dare by attempting to catch and strangle me, with the slight miscalculation that said older twin brother was so shocked by it all that he couldn't move to come to my rescue, and thus, Kouji chased me around the house several times, effectively ending our little game.

It was about two years later, almost to the day, when Kouichi disappeared.

I guess I was one of the first to hear about it - Kouji called my cell phone about two thirty in the morning, saying that Kouichi had not come home yet and demanding to know if I'd seen him. Now, you should know, Kouji can be overly aggressive and a little obsessive when it comes to issues like security or safety, but he's never 'demanded' anything of me before. He's beaten the hell out of me to get a point across, but he's never demanded I do anything.

Thus, the fact that he did meant that this was no joke.

The next indication came when I told him that I hadn't seen Kouichi all day. Kouji promptly hung up on me, and the line went dead, another sure-fire sign that he was freaked out of his mind. He may not be exactly former or polite or anything like that, but when he's on the phone, at least, where his meaning can be misconstrued…He at least observes common courtesy.

Apparently, he called everyone else in the group at least once that night, plus two of Kouichi's teachers and his part-time bosses. Then, about four AM, he called me again, a few levels short of panic. I had to calm him down. It would be okay, I kept telling him, Kouichi wouldn't run off, he wouldn't get himself into trouble, he'd be back soon with some sort of explanation…who knows, maybe he got lucky with a girl and lost track of time…and we could all go on with our lives.

But he didn't come back, not the next day, not the day after that.

I came home after school two days after he vanished and went straight to find my dad. He was home early, which he only does sometimes when he doesn't have any cases to work on, and this was a case he needed to work on. Kousei, Kouji's father, wouldn't call in the report until tonight, and Tomoko couldn't get to a phone until very late. None of us knew if that would be too late or not. They needed to start looking _now_.

"Dad," I said, trying to keep my voice even as I entered his office and flung the door open so hard that it bounced against the wall, "Kouichi's missing."

Dad looked up from his papers and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Kouichi's missing. He's gone." I licked my lips, nervous. "I think he's in trouble, Dad. You need to find him."

He lifted an eyebrow and pulled his reading glasses away from his face. "You mean your friend Kimura-kun, correct? Minamoto-kun's brother?"

"Yes." I took a step forward. "He…He hasn't come home for days, Dad. Something's wrong."

Dad shook his head and began working again, his pen moving swiftly. "His parents are the ones who need to make a missing persons report, Takuya. I can't do anything without that."

"But they _are_ filing the report!" I exclaimed, moving up once more to right in front of his desk. "They're probably doing it right now. But we have to find him Dad, as soon as possible, we have to! He's in trouble, I know he is. He wouldn't just disappear like this if he wasn't!"

My father sighed, lifting his head again. "Takuya, I can't just…"

"Dad, please." I leaned over his desk and looked up at him, giving the best puppy-dog pouting eyes that I could. I hate begging. "He's one of my best friends, and I know he's in trouble. We can't just leave him out there, we _need_ to do something. Please, Dad!"

For a moment, he looked at me, and I thought that maybe he was going to tell me to go lie down for a while. But then he sighed, shaking his head, and put down the pen.

"All right." He sighed, looking me right in the eye. "I'll do what I can, Takuya. I promise…I'll do everything I can."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

It was three weeks before we heard anything. Three bloody weeks, and some of the longest of my life.

I was asleep when Dad came home from his 'business party' as he referred to the social gatherings he was usually forced into attending on behalf of his commander, which was not uncommon. However, this time he came home extremely late, much later than usual - about four in the morning, I think, seeing as it was four thirty when he woke me up.

He came into my room quietly, trying to be quiet but not succeeding - my room is a mess. He hit my book bag with his bare foot and muffled a few not-so-polite words, which is what woke me in the first place.

That should have been funny, but I wasn't laughing much at the time.

I lifted my head off the pillow and blinked at him sleepily. "Dad…?"

"Yeah, it's me." He said quietly, wince a bit. He moved through the mess to my bed and sat on the very edge. "Sorry. I woke you up, didn't I?"

"Gee, you think?" I yawned and plopped back onto my pillow, closing my eyes. "…Whattya want?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to tell you something." He leaned forward, over me, with a sort of smile on his face. "I've got good news."

"'Bout what?"

"Kimura-kun."

Because I was only half-awake, it took me a while to figure out exactly what he was talking about. But after a few minutes, something about it finally clicked and I sat straight up. "Kouichi?"

"That's right." Dad smiled just a bit. "I've found him."

I was up again at that, more awake than I'd been in ages. "You did? Where? Is he all right? He's not hurt, is he? What happened, where did he…"

"Easy, easy." Dad's voice lowered into a whisper, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Yes, he's all right. He's home with his mother, and Minamoto-kun, nice and safe. He was fast asleep in his mother's lap when I left. I'm afraid he was hurt, he's been through a lot and has a lot to deal with, but he's alive and he's home and he'll recover."

And, for about three hours until the sun finally rose and I was able to get out and find the others, that was enough.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

We took Kouichi out to his favorite park a few days before the bastard's trail date. Kouichi wasn't speaking much, not that he ever had before, but the psychiatrists said he'd gone mute after everything that bastard had done to him. He spoke, sometimes, but not too often and only to Kouji or his mother and, once, he spoke to me and scared me out of my wits.

The park in question was a place where we'd all gotten together before, for picnics, to enjoy ourselves. That was the excuse for going today, though the real reason was to get him out of the house and on his own.

But before we even got the blanket spread out, he had stretched out on the grassy hill and fallen asleep. I wasn't too surprised…even before everything that happened, Kouichi could and would fall asleep anywhere, if you gave him a sunbeam and something to rest his head on. Kouji was next to him, which was also typical, as overprotective as he was, and after a while we all drifted down to sit around them.

"How's he doing?" Tomoki asked quietly, keeping his voice low. "I mean…after everything?"

Kouji shrugged. "As good as he can be, I guess."

"It's been a month." Junpei muttered through half a mouthful of sandwich, and swallowed before he spoke again. "You'd think therapy woulda done something by now. It's not the same, without him talking."

Izumi nodded, reaching over to brush some hair out of Kouichi's eyes. "I miss hearing his voice."

"Yeah…" I sighed, leaned back on my hands. "But you know…at least he's back."

The other agreed. Kouichi mumbled a bit in his sleep and rolled over, reaching to grip Kouji's hand when it was offered. He looked cute, like a kitten. I'd missed that look. It made us all smile.

"Do you think…" Tomoki paused a moment before he finished what he'd wanted to say. "Do you think there's anything we can do for him?"

I shrugged. "We can be here."

Kouji smiled. Not smirked, smiled. A rare occasion, and another one I had missed. "That's right. We're here, and we'll always be here."

And that was enough for any of us.

_**TBC…**_

Aiiee…This chapter was not what I was going for, but at least I got it out. It was nice, right? I hope it was good enough…

P.S. - no, I'm not supporting a Takuya/Kouichi pairing. I just felt like putting in that stupid joke. Anything that seemed otherwise is being friendly, okay?


	9. Day In Court

**Warnings: **Graphic recounts of homosexual rape and court-room drama. Be warned, my experience with court is limited to random episodes of _Law & Order_ and watching the Mock Trial team in Debate, so it might be a little wonky…

**POV: **Minamoto Kousei's Attorney, Iwata Inari-san.

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy_.

**Account of Abduction**

**Chapter 9: Day in Court**

It was interesting day, when I met Minamoto-san's son. I've never had a client quite like him.

My practice is a long one, very respectable. I've worked long and hard to get the respect I have now, spending many years in the circuit. At this point, I'm at the point where I can name my price with even the most high-brow of clients and get what I ask without a second thought. I don't loose cases very easily, only a few in my entire career. I have worked for this position.

Normally, I would not have taken a case like this. I don't work with children. But Minamoto-san is one of my long-time (and best-paying) clients, so I figured I might have owed him a favor.

The boy was…not what I expected. That is, Kimura. His brother, the one who Minamoto-san had raised himself, was exactly who I figured he'd be - gruff and serious and, well, masculine-feeling. The other, my client, was nothing like him. The first thing that struck me was that, if he had grown his hair out to the length of his brother's, he would have looked distinctly like a girl. It wasn't that his face was any different than Minamoto-kun's, since, save a few scratches and healing bruises, they were absolutely identical. But there was just something about this boy that screamed 'feminine' in bold neon letters.

Maybe it was the way he held himself as he and his brother and his mother came into my office for the first time. He was clinging to his brother's arm with both hands, his arms and shoulders pulled in towards the center of his body, head bowed, big blue eyes looking up at me through his bangs like a cornered puppy who'd done something wrong and been beaten for it. He didn't say a word.

His brother, the strong and silent type himself, held himself almost like a bodyguard defending a VIP government official. His shoulders were raised and tense, strong against anything that could fall on them, his steps measured and focused like a soldier's march, his eyes focused straight ahead with the intensity to burn a hole in my forehead. The meaning in that look was clear - if he even suspected that I wasn't to be trusted, I wouldn't come near his brother, and I would probably be walking funny for a week.

Kimura-san, their mother…birthmother…was right behind them, a hand on each of their shoulders in a loving sort of embrace. She was pretty, if obviously overworked and underpaid and stressed, and she somehow managed to hold the definite expression of 'mother', as though the title had been branded on to her forehead. She bowed to me as she entered and introduced herself in a soft, motherly sort of voice,

Minamoto-san was with them, too, trailing behind and sitting farther away. I wasn't surprised. He has a very limited emotional range - part of the reason he's such a great businessman. He kept his face calm and impersonal, just like any good businessman should.

"Tomoko," he said quietly to the trio as he motioned to where I was sitting behind my desk, "boys…this is Iwata-san. My lawyer. He has agreed to take the case against that…beast…Koukon."

A visible shudder ran through the room at the defendant's name. The mother's was frightened, offended, and the younger brother's protective as he gripped his sibling's hand. The elder of the twins didn't move, didn't lift his eyes, didn't even blink, as though the name meant nothing to him at all.

…Interesting.

I stood and bowed to them, and the woman, remaining seated, bowed back. The teens did not, but I excused the rudeness. They had been through quite a lot.

I returned to my seat, folding my hands on the desk in front of me, and took out the copy of the file that the police had sent me on the Koukon case. It was quite the scandal - a prominent young businessman kidnapping the son of an older-generation entrepreneur, keeping him as a kind of sexual slave inside the same mansion where dozens of parties are held every year, and only being discovered months later because of his own overconfidence, by a family friend who just happened to be an officer of the law. The stuff of crime dramas, it was almost entertaining. The tabloids had been have a field day for weeks.

"This case is quite…unusual." I muttered, pushing my glasses up my nose to focus my vision a bit better. I really need to get them fitted… "Our first action should be clear. We need to build this case. And since, with this file, Kanbara-san's and Kimura-kun's testimony, we should have more than enough evidence…"

The Kimura boy drew in a sharp breath and tightened his grip on his brother's hand. It was a motion that most people would not have noticed in its subtly, but I am a lawyer. It is my job to find details that no one else can.

I slid my glasses down again to focus on him. "Is something wrong, Kimura-kun?"

He said nothing, just put a balled-up fist to his lips and curled away from me and closer to his brother. His mother leaned over and smoothed his hair gently, whispering soothing words. It was touching, but my name is not Billy Flynn - I deal in facts.

"Kimura-kun…" I leaned over my desk, folding my hands. "It is not required for you, as the victim, to give a testimony in the court. However, I do think that it would make our case that much stronger, and raise the chance that the defendant will be sentenced that much faster. Do you understand?"

He nodded. I leaned forward, just in case he was speaking in a tone that didn't quite reach my ears. "Do you think you'll be willing to testify?"

Once again, the elder brother said nothing, but the younger drew himself up defensively. "He can't."

"I trust that he can answer for himself, Minamoto-kun." I said, matching his cold glare with all the training of a Harvard graduate.

He wasn't fazed, and his icy expression never changed once. "He can't."

"Of course he can."

"He _can't_." The last word bit down like a bear trap, every syllable carefully enunciated. "He doesn't _speak_."

…Apparently, Minamoto-san had failed to mention the Selective Mutism Disorder that now afflicted his elder son. In fact, he seemed almost embarrassed that one of his offspring would be the sort to 'run away' from the world in such a manner, no matter the circumstances.

This new development was…difficult, to say the least. But not unworkable.

When I said so, Kimura-san was confused, pulling her son in more tightly in a defensive manner. "Iwata-san…There is no way he can testify without speaking!"

"There is." I pushed my glasses up again and reached for one of the drawers in my desk…I needed the number for this case's judge. "If Kimura-kun will agree to it, I know exactly the way that this can work…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

I like court. Court is calming. Court is orderly. Court is reasonable.

Normally.

This time, the courtroom was so full of cameras and reporters and paparazzi that it was difficult to hear myself think. It was very frustrating, all these unnecessary people crowded into the space that should have been only the realm of attorneys and guards and His Honor himself.

More than anything else, there was one little annoyance that I was severely tempted to slap, right there in front of the cameras and everyone.

"Minamoto-kun, please go back to the viewing area."

"Hell no." The boy scowled, crossed his arms and legs, and remained firmly in the wooden chair.

I grit my teeth. Teenagers… "Civilians are not allowed in this part of the courtroom unless they are on the stand." I hissed, keeping my voice as calm and measured as possible. "Leave."

He rolled his eyes, as though wordlessly placing himself in contempt of me. "What're you going to do, sue me?"

…I will not strangle my client's child in the courtroom, I will not strangle my client's child in the courtroom, I will not…

Kimura-kun gave his brother a concerned look, biting the knuckle of his forefinger worriedly. His mother leaned over the wooden barrier to speak to the boy. "Kouji, please. We don't want to do anything that will hurt our case…"

He turned and looked at her point-blank, reaching down to squeeze his brother's hand. "I'm not leaving him alone, Mom. Nothing could make me do that."

I groaned again and shook my head. It was one thing to have the family sitting behind the defendant in court - that could be supporting to a younger witness and elicit an extra push of sympathy from the jury - but this was too much. I knew Minamoto-san well, and I knew that he was stubborn, and I knew very well that such traits normally ran in the family, but for crying out loud…

Kimura-kun suddenly drew in a gasp and gripped his brother's hand beneath the table so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. I glanced up at this, wondering what could have set him off, then turned to the back of the courtroom and saw…_him_.

Koukon-san.

He looked like any normal businessman coming in for any stupid civil suit that had been brought up by a disgruntled ex-employee or the like. His long, blonde hair was tied back into a tight, orderly ponytail, his arms were straight at this sides like boards, his black suit emphasizing exactly how pale he really was.

He was with his lawyer, of course. I knew him - a real sleaze ball, willing to defend anyone for the right price, but a good lawyer and a tough opponent, the type you had to keep your wits around at all times or he'd double-cross you, your client, and the judge all at the same time.

Koukon ignored the cameras and the reporters, never turning his head, not even away from them. His red-brown eyes were ever focused on the very front of the room, never moving from that spot, his face never changing or reacting, never acknowledging anything at all.

At least…not until he reached us.

Because as soon as he came even with the defendant's stand, his head turned towards us very slowly. His eyes, the exact color of dried blood, fell on Kimura-kun, and he smiled. Just smiled, an evil, taunting smile that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He was like a cat who had just spotted his prey.

Kimura-kun whimpered and slunk back away from him, prompting Minamoto-kun to slide in to intercept the glare. For a moment, he and Koukon glared at each other with the fury of a small lightening storm. And then…

Koukon went to his seat and sat down.

Minamoto-kun remained in his chosen seat. I did not object.

The judge arrived, and, as per tradition, the crowd rose and fell and was then silent. After some preliminaries - the reading of the case, the confirmation of the charges, the throwing out of a particularly rude photographer - he finally asked my opponent to call the first witness.

Said witness was, predictably, Hiroaki Kanbara, the officer first on the scene. I knew this was coming - he was going to play up some miniscule detail and try to blow it out of proportion.

"Inspector," he said coolly, slipping one hand into his pocket in a casual manner. Horrible form. "You were the first on the scene during the supposed rescue, is that correct?"

Kanbara-san, a pleasant man with a tanned, friendly face, now wore a serious expression as he looked at the lawyer with all the confidence awarded to him by his police training. "Yes."

"And, I believe, you were also the one to instigate this investigation against Koukon-san, is that right?"

"Yes, it is."

The man leaned over, a smile on his lips. This, of course, was the fine point of his questioning. "Could you please explain why a man like Koukon-san would come under suspicion in a case like this?"

Kanbara-san's face was sullen and calm. "He had Kimura-kun staffing his party _in a dress_." He hissed quietly, and Kouichi winced. "You do the math."

The smile curved up even more wickedly. "But is it really so unbelievable for the boy to _willingly_ work for Koukon-san in such a way? Was there any proof that he was forced?"

Kanbara-san took in a sharp breath, obviously taking offense at this as a friend of the family, but remained calm. "His face and body was heavily bruised. It was obvious that Koukon had beaten him."

"But how could you know that from just a few bruises?"

At that, Kanbara-san leaned over the stand and looked him straight in the eye. "Sir, I have been on the book for missing and abused children for eight years now, and the commander of the division for three of those years. I've seen things done to kids that even your sick mind couldn't imagine. Don't even think to question me on what I do and do not know."

There was a hushed silence in the courtroom, and I had to smile. Kanbara-san knew what he was doing.

My opponent waited a moment, collected his thoughts, cleared his throat, and started again. "Now, Kanbara-san…I understand that you had a previous connection with the boy in question?"

"…You could say that." Kanbara-san glanced our way, and for a moment his eyes met with Kimura-kun's. The boy seemed to take a certain amount of comfort in that. "He's one of my son's best friends. Very best friends."

"Then isn't it possible that your own feelings might have clouded your judgment in terms of investigation?"

Kanbara-san stiffened, and I winced. From the end of the court and attorneys, that was a perfectly reasonable question, but to an experienced, proud, honorable officer like Kanbara-san…it was a blow far below the belt.

"Absolutely not." He hissed. "I made sure of that."

The lawyer leaned back with a smirk, "And yet, you invaded a home without Koukon-san's permission, snooping into his private chambers in order to get your strongest evidence."

Kanbara-san hissed again. "By _chance_, I discovered reasonable evidence to suspect Koukon, returned to the main office, and obtained the correct warrant for an investigation. I followed procedure to a 'T'."

"But if you were _truly_ concerned about Kimura-kun's welfare," another smirk, just as cool, and just as aggravating, crawled across my opponent's face, "why would you take so much time just for a little paperwork?"

Kanbara-san grit his teeth this time, along with his fists, obviously ready to attack the man himself if he was pushed anymore. "Because I wanted to make sure that a twisted _bastard_ like that couldn't get away because of this stupid technicality that you're trying to push on me."

The lawyer straightened, his hands tight behind his back, and turned away sharply. "No more questions."

His Honor glanced my way, but I waved him off. There was no reason for me to interrogate Kanbara-san…He'd done a wonderful job holding fast to his morals and refusing to be intimidated, just what I would have expected from an officer of his rank.

Kanbara-san paused on his way back to his seat to glance down at my client. Kimura-kun lifted his eyes slightly to meet the man's and, after a moment's hesitation, smiled gratefully. Even Minamoto-kun seemed content with what had transpired, and I could hear Kanbara-san's son whispering to him as he sat down, "Dad, you were so _awesome."_

For some reason, that made me smile, but I had to wipe it away quickly. Bad presentation.

The judge signaled to me, indicating that the time to prepare had conclude and it was my turn to call a witness, and I knew just what to do. For our case, for the extra burst of strength, this was how it had to be.

It was time for Kimura-kun to testify.

_**TBC…**_

Heh heh…sorry everybody! But this chapter turned out longer than I expected, so I decided to continue it into a second one! I hope you can be patient for a few weeks, especially since I'm balancing a debate tournament a week for the next three weekends, Sunday through Thursday musical rehearsals, Newspaper staff meetings, deadlines and school work besides my

Remember - 'san' is the same as Mr. or Mrs., while 'kun' is used for young boys.

Iwata-san uses his glasses only for reading. I mostly did that because I like the image of a tough trial lawyer pushing his glasses up and down his nose to focus his attention on one subject at a time.

Billy Flynn - One word: _Chicago._ Google it if you don't know it.


	10. Day In Court Pt 2

**Warnings: **Graphic recounts of homosexual rape and court-room drama. Be warned, my experience with court is limited to random episodes of _Law & Order_ and watching the Mock Trial team in Debate, so it might be a little wonky…

**POV: **Minamoto Kousei's Attorney, Iwata Inari-san.

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. Don't sue me, I think I need the money for therapy_.

**Account of Abduction**

**Chapter 9: Day in Court - Pt. 2**

"Your honor, what on earth is this?"

There was a part of me that had to smirk at the surprised, almost offended voice that burst from my opponent as the equipment was wheeled in: a laptop, a projection screen, and a RBG projector especially designed to connect with the computer in question. It was far too expensive to buy a whole new set of machines, so we simply borrowed some equipment from the local school district, who was more than supportive.

The judge indicated that I should speak, which I did, with a certain amount of inner pleasure, I must say. "My client is currently suffering from a Selective Mutism disorder brought on by immense mental stress. With this, he will be able to testify without putting strain on his mind."

"Your Honor!" My opponent was livid. "It seems to me that if the witness is unable to speak, he should therefore be unable to testify!"

:The judge was not convinced by the argument, and smirked lightly. "Iwata-san has already gotten the permission of the court. There is a precedence that states the court cannot refuse a witness's right to testify based on their current mental state. The decision stands."

Counsel sat down, scowling. It was a definite victory for us. Because there was only one real witness to the 'events' in question - Kimura-kun - a detrimental part of his case must have been counting on the parents or judge to bar victim's testimony. This way, we would almost certainly have the upper hand with the jury.

It took only a moment for the equipment to be set up, and then the court was called to order again. After a moment of required deliberation, the session officially reopened with the prosecution.

Kimura-kun, after a soft hug from his mother and a gentle squeeze of the hand from his brother, took his place on the stand. There was a light ring as the laptop started up, a bright blue filling the screen of the projector. The court scribe reached over and opened the word processor for him, then settled back as I moved forward.

"Kimura-kun," I started calmly. He knew the basis of what I was going to ask. But I wanted to come in early to keep him calm. After all, he was only a child. "I want to make sure that this arrangement is all right with you before I begin. I'm going to ask you some questions, and all I want you to do is type your answers out on the keyboard. All right?"

Kouichi gave a small nod, and with a few quick taps, the word 'yes' popped up on the screen.

"Good." I brushed hair out of my eyes and adjusted my glasses, making sure not to let the pause go even a second more than it had to. "Kimura-kun, have you ever seen the defendant, Koukon-san, before today?"

Swift fingers. "_Yes."_

"When was the first time you saw him?"

The thin fingers flew across the keyboard swiftly. I was mildly impressed - the boy must have picked up typing skills from one of his part-time jobs - and the sentence quickly scrawled itself out across the screen:

"_Outside the school. He was standing across the street from the school when I came out. He was staring at me."_

I lifted an eyebrow. "Staring at you, Kimura-kun? Are you sure?"

"_Yes. He never took his eyes off me. I could feel them all the way until I got around the corner."_

I rubbed my chin lightly, considering my next question before I spoke again. "Let's skip ahead, Kimura-kun, to the night you disappeared. Can you tell us what happened that day?"

The fingers flew again, pausing and stumbling occasionally. "_It was raining. I was walking home from school, and I couldn't see the street lights very well for the rain. A car door opened and wouldn't let me go any further. He was inside, and wanted me to come in, too. I tried to get away, but the driver wouldn't let me go. They made me get into the car, and they wouldn't let me out."_

"Driver?" Uh-oh. This could be a problem. "What did the driver look like?"

"_Big. Tall." _The boy paused a moment and shrugged before he continued. "_I couldn't see anything else about him. I never saw him again."_

Crap. Probably a hired thug of some sort, but without a good description we would never be able to hunt him down. Who knows, Koukon might have even killed him to keep his dirty little secret, in which case only a body would provide any more evidence.

The only option now was to move on, so I cleared my throat lightly before the next question. "What happened then, Kimura-kun?"

"_I don't remember." _Damn. "_I think he knocked me out. I woke up in a bed."_

I tapped my fingers on my arm lightly. "A bed where, Kimura-kun?"

"_A dark room. He wouldn't let me out." _He hesitated for a moment, closing his eyes as though he didn't want to type out the next sentence, but he did anyway. "_I was tied to the bed all the time. He wouldn't even let me move to eat. He force-fed me."_

I pushed my glasses up my nose. This was the critical part of the testimony, and it was extremely important that Kouichi be the one to 'speak', not me. His recount would make or break this case, and it had to be completely and _totally_ solid. "Do you remember what happened to you during the three weeks you were not a home?"

He hesitated again. "_Yes."_

…Which is why I normally do not work with children.

"What _happened_, Kimura-kun?"

More hesitation, longer, and this time he didn't begin typing at all. I took a deep breath through my nose, willing myself to remain calm despite the frustrations of young clients. "Did he do anything to hurt you, Kimura-kun?"

"Objection!" My opponent leapt to his feet. "Council is leading the witness!"

But Kimura-kun was already typing, and the words that sprung up on the screen were holding the attention of every person in the courtroom:

"_It hurt all the time. He tied me up whenever I was alone, using ropes and handcuffs and chains. He ripped my clothes and kissed me all over. I couldn't eat without him there, couldn't move, couldn't bathe or anything. There were costumes, dresses and things, he'd put me in them and make me wear them all the time. If I didn't do what he said, he hit me, with his hands and anything else he could reach. He wouldn't let me go. He laughed when I asked."_

There were a few stunned gasps throughout the room, plus one woman in the jury who opening burst into sobs for the 'poor child'. I paused for a while, to let the effect soak in completely. There was little need - the atmosphere was now thicker than soap.

Perfect.

"No more questions."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Even for someone with as much experience in court as I have, the sentencing is probably the most nerve-wracking part. At that point, there is nothing left that you can do to effect the outcome of the trail: Either you win, or you loose. There is no in between.

The entire courtroom was silent during the last hour of deliberation. There had been a few short recesses, plus a lunch break for the jury, but soon everyone who really cared about the trial were back in their seats: Kimura-kun and Minamoto-kun beside me, Koukon-san and my opponent on the other side of the court room, all four of them staring straight ahead, as I was, though the boys had their fingers intertwined, Kimura-kun leaning against his brother for both literal and figurative support. Just behind us sat Kimura-san, wearing her only nice suit and looking very battle-weary, with Satome-san, the boys' step-mother, who has Minamoto-san on her cell phone (the company head, that is, Minamoto-san's boss, had insisted that trial or not, he be at a business meeting in Okinawa for the next three days). The rest of the room was waiting with baited breath to find out the end to the story - the biggest real-life drama to have hit Japan in recent years.

It was a total hour of silence before the small door to the right of the bench opened without warning, and the jury - all 12 of them - filed into their seats once more. I heard Kimura-san take a deep breath and hold it until the entire dozen had sat down.

The judge pushed his glasses up his nose. "Has the jury prepared their verdict?"

The foreman stood, holding the page that would seal Koukon's fate. "We are, Your Honor."

"Then will the defendant please rise?"

Koukon stood, a smirk on his face, as did my opponent, who didn't look nearly so confident. The judge nodded to jury box. "Proceed."

The foreman cleared his throat before he did so. "We, the jury of this court, find the defendant…" He paused a moment, as though nervous that would he would say would bring down fire-rain of hell on his head…which might actually be true if he said the wrong thing…before he continued. "Guilty of all charges level against him."

The courtroom let out a collective sigh of relief, followed by the customary light chattering now that the heavy atmosphere had subsided. Tomoko-san collapsed backwards in her chair, letting out her breath with a gasp that sounded like a light sob. Satomi-san reached across to put an arm around her, tears falling down her cheeks as she gleefully reported the results to Kousei-san over and over and over.

Kimura-kun slumped against his brother almost bonelessly, putting his head on the other's shoulder to hide his eyes. Minamoto-kun reached over and hugged his brother, keeping an arm around him and whispering, gently, with a smile on his face. My opponent shook his head and sat down hard as the judge read his client's sentence - life in prison, with no chance of parole until the first fifty years were up. The highest sentence possible for all of his combined crimes. And Koukon…

Koukon was smiling even as he sat down, his smirk never changing, never moving, even as he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail.

…Very, very disturbing. Without a doubt.

Minamoto-kun…Kouji…seemed to sense the wrongness of it as well, and to counter he looked up at Koukon with a glare. The grown man turned his head slowly and countered the glower with his own easy, confident stare, straight past the boy to the other in his arms.

For a spilt moment, I got a chill running up my spine. There was something between these three, something they weren't telling me. Something they _couldn't_ tell me.

Something that they couldn't tell anyone…

"Iwata-san?"

I snapped out of my daze in an instant, lifting my head. "Yes, Your Honor?"

"Do you have any final statements?"

I considered for a moment. There was a secret about this case, something I didn't know. Something I couldn't know. Something that I…wasn't supposed to know. Maybe no one was.

"No, Your Honor."

The judge…an old friend of mine, a mentor really, someone whom I had looked up to and appreciated my entire life…narrowed his gaze at me before deciding that I would not change my mind. "Very well then."

He turned back to the defendant, his jaw set, and raised his gavel. "Life in prison, parole on hold. This court is adjourned."

And the gavel came down, as it always did, with a loud _bang. _I gathered up my things, recieved my thanks from my clients, and returend to life as normal. Just. Like. Always._  
_

_**TBC…**_


End file.
